Victor Mongil, Kerala Blasters FC's latest signing has revealed that it was always a dream for him to don the club's yellow and blue jersey since arriving in the Indian Super League (ISL) for the first time in the 2019-20 campaign.
Mongil, an ISL winner with ATK FC has always admired the Blasters for their tremendous fan support and their passion for the game and the possibility to play for the side was always an attractive proposition for him.
However, when Mongil returned to the ISL in 2021, he could not get his dream move to Blasters and joined Odisha FC instead.
The centre-back had a solid season with the Juggernauts that paved the way to his dream move to Kochi ahead of ISL 2022-23.
"I have been lucky to play for some really top clubs in ATK FC and Odisha FC but for me, this move was the best because Kerala Blasters FC, for me, are the biggest club in India because of their support and love of the fans," said Mongil as reported by ISL website.
"I've been waiting for three years for this (chance to play for Kerala Blasters FC) but now it's a reality. I am very excited for this new chapter and I can't wait to play my first game in front of our fans at Kochi," he added.
The Spanish defender though is already feeling the love of the fans even before setting foot in Kochi.
"The fans' welcome has been unbelievable. My social media for the last 4-5 days has been on fire. The fans for sure will be our 12th man this season. I have never played in Kochi and I am looking forward to it. I will give my 100 per cent on the pitch and hopefully, we will win something," he said.
Mongil has played 28 matches in the ISL across his two stints and has a staggering passing accuracy of 80.78 per cent during these matches. He will thus slot in directly into head coach Ivan Vukomanovic's technical style of play and thereby improve the team.
"I like the project as Kerala Blasters FC want to always fight for the top position and every player wants to be part of such big projects," he said.
"Last season was great but we want to continue in the same way. The new season presents us with another opportunity to play in a final. So we want to keep fighting till we reach another final," added Mongil.
The 29-year-old expects to be a part of a closely-knit group when he joins the Kerala Blasters FC squad as he could see the togetherness in the team when he faced them last season as an Odisha FC player.
( With inputs from ANI )
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