Hyderabad: Adam le Fondre, the English footballer who plays as a striker for Mumbai City FC, is "confident" of his team's chances as they take on ATK Mohun Bagan in the finals of the Indian Super League (ISL).
As the third highest scorer with 11 goals in 22 games, Fondre spoke to Etv Bharat about Mumbai City FC's chances in the final, life in COVID and ISL standing among other leagues.
Q. Mumbai City FC have topped the charts, won the Indian Super League (ISL) Winners Shield title, and booked a place in the finals for the first time. Surreal?
A. Yes, obviously the confidence is high. We are not going to get carried away. We are all out in this journey with a goal of putting ourselves in a position to achieve something great. We have done really well so far and are looking forward to this weekend to finish on a good note, and that would be a great thing.
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Q. Tell us how has the journey been for you personally while playing in this league during the times of COVID...
A. It's certainly been strange. We have been away from our family for a very long period of time. I have not seen my children and my wife properly. That certainly is a big miss for me. Football is a great healer of everything. I think it has been very positive... the fact that we had no trouble which is fantastic from club and league's point of view. I think the only bad thing is that there are no fans and football isn't really the same without them. I am sure every football player will say that.
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Q. Where do you see ISL's standing among other leagues of the world?
A. I think it's developing. You have a quality that needs to be refined and in 5-10 years and with same investment and maybe more investment in the academies, coaching levels will increase.
To know the full interview, click on the video...
--Ayushmaan Pandey
