ISL 2020-21: The improvement in Indian players is noticeable with every year – Federico Gallego

NorthEast United FC midfielder Federico Gallego reckons the improvement in Indian players is palpable with every passing season of the Hero Indian Super League. The league was launched back in 2014 but it has helped take Indian football to new heights. The local players are growing in confidence after sharing the same stage with the world-class players.

Gallego feels that ISL is doing a fine job as they have added SC East Bengal as the 11th team for the seventh season of the upcoming tournament. The more the number of teams, the more intense is the competition in the league, which will help raise the standard of football in the country.

The Indian players have got the exposure in the last couple of years and the results are noticeable. The players have reaped rewards for the good work they have put in their game.

“It’s great that the league is adding teams as it is essential for competition and for Indian football to continue advancing on a large scale. Adding teams increases the number of games per season, and that is good for the players and, above all, for the national team to keep their players in constant competition readiness,” Gallego said in an interview with sportskeeda.com. 

“Every year, the improvement in the Indian players is noticeable. Most of them have a lot of quality, and the best thing to keep improving is to stay in the competition and keep training. I also believe that there is an excellent range for improvement, so they can continue to improve day by day, and that is even better,” he added.

In the 2018-19 season, Federico Gallego scored four goals and provided five assists and thus played an instrumental role in the success of the NorthEast United FC. The Highlanders had finished the league stage at the fourth place, which was their best ever finish in the tournament. Gallego is hopeful that they would be able to replicate the same form.

“Let’s hope that the third (season with NorthEast) resembles the first one; we will surely do the impossible, as a group, to make this happen. I am very excited and very anxious for this to happen,” the 30-year-old shared.

Gallego added that their focus will be to take one game at a time and don’t look too far in the competition. NorthEast United FC will play their opening match against Mumbai City FC at Tilak Maidan Stadium on 21st November.