The Kolkata based ISL club and the first season’s champions Atletico de Kolkata launched their program for the upcoming third season of the Indian Super League which will be kick start on 1 Oct. 2016.
The inaugural champions are looking stronger than their previous season’s as they retained their last season’s marquee Helder Postiga, alongside the ISL star and former Tottenham and Valencia’s star forward Iain Hume.
The 34-years-old Portugal international Helder Postiga, who was the last season’s marquee player of Atletico de Kolkata and appeared only one time with two goals for the Atletico de Kolkata and stretchered out for the rest of the tournament as he got injured in his ISL debut against the last season’s ISL champions Chennaiyin F.C. but now he is back again as a marquee player for the Sourav Ganguly co-owned ISL franchise and Postiga admits that he is happy and excited to come back on Indian soil and also stated that the memory which he have earned last season endeared him to come back to Indian football and especially the ATK family,
As Postiga said,
"It feels great to be playing for Atlético de Kolkata for the consecutive year. My stay last year was short lived but I have earned memories which endeared me to come back to Indian football and especially the ATK family. The passionate fans of Kolkata will definitely push my zeal for performing in this edition as fitness wise I am in much better shape and had a good season with Rio Ave F.C at Primeira Liga",
The Portuguese man is all set to make the ATK fans proud with his quality of play along with the former Kerala Blasters forward Iain Hume and Postiga believes that the passionate fans of Kolkata will definitely push his zeal for a good performance in this edition as Postiga also believes that fitness wise he is in much better shape and recently he had a good season with Rio Ave F.C at Primeira Liga.
And when Postiga has been asked about the inevitable lethal partnership to be formed up top for the Atletico de Kolkata, Postiga stated,
“It’s better if Hume answers this. No, honestly the most important thing is the team. Hope our combination will be even better this season to help the team. Moreover I hope, both of us can score goals, can create good opportunities and play some good football for ATK",
And the Canadian International Iain Hume also respond to the same question and said,
"I’m hopeful too. It makes your job easier when you have players like Postiga in your side. As Postiga is there up front, I am ready to play wherever the coach wants to put me in. In the end, the team matters the most and we both are looking forward to it",
And lastly, when Postiga has been asked about the Indian players in the side and the future of the Indian Super League and the Indian Football,
Postiga stated,
"ISL has been one of the most competitive leagues in the world and I believe we have a bunch of quality players. I trained with few of them in the preseason in Spain and they seemed really good,"
"I hope in next few years India will be in the World Cups, Asian Cups as these players can only get better." He concluded.