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Luis Garcia and co-owner Sourav GangulyThe Indian Super League is only a day away from kick off and Atletico De Kolkata will commence their season against Mumbai F.C. at home in the iconic Salt Lake Stadium. Established on May 7, 2014, as the first ever team of the league, the club is partly owned by Spanish La Liga giants Atletico Madrid and most notably former Indian Cricket skipper Sourav Ganguly.With former Liverpool Champions League winner Luis Garcia as their marquee signing along with other international names like Borja Fernandez and Josemi and not to forget some experienced Indian campaigners in their ranks, the team from the “City of Joy” will certainly provide some tough competition for the other contenders.Here are some interesting things we should know about the club.
#5 Only team in ISL to be introduced in front of an European crowd
There are several other franchises in Indian Super League who have tie-ups with European clubs, but Atletico de Kolkata is the only side who were unveiled in front of thousands of Atletico Madrid fans at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. Atletico de Kolkata franchise got the opportunity to train at Madrid and avail the world class facilities of the Spanish side.
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During the pre-season visit, the club authorities took the initiative of introducing the Kolkata team at their own home stadium during a league game. This was a unique opportunity bestowed upon the Atletico de Kolkata side by their co-owners.
#4 Experienced squad
The average age of Atletico de Kolkata is in the late 20s which give them both an advantage and a disadvantage. If we take the positive side, each and every player is an experienced customer either in the domestic circuit or international. Thus, they would how to deal in difficult situations and adapt themselves to any given condition with ease.
The Indian roster includes players like Climax Lawrence, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Arnab Mondal, Cavin Lobo, etc, who know the Indian conditions very well and also are aware of their opponents’ strength and weaknesses. The international names include Luis Garcia, Borja Fernandes, who have the international experience under their belt with which they would be able to guide the local players and adapt according to their style of play.
The cons attached to this concept are, football is a game of speed and energy which will be missing from Atletico Kolkata’s game due to lack of young players. Against pacey opponents, their weaknesses may get exposed.
#3 Biggest home stadium in the tournament
Atletico de Kolkata can boast of having the biggest stadium in India and second biggest stadium in Asia as their home ground. Yes, we are talking about the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan or the Salt Lake stadium as it is popularly known as.
The stadium can accommodate 1,20,000 people at a time and has witnessed many historical events like Oliver Kahn’s farewell game, Argentina vs Venezuela international friendly game in which the then World’s best player Lionel Messi played, Cameroon’s star player Roger Milla’s appearance and last but not the least the legendary Argentine Diego Maradona’s presence. Other than this, the ground hosts the famous Kolkata derby which generally experiences an average attendance of 80,000 people.
#2 Zero participation of Bollywood in the team
Unlike most of the other franchises, Atletico de Kolkata has no involvement of Bollywood. Be it the ownership of the brand ambassador Atletico de Kolkata is not entertaining any Bollywood participation. It is strictly up to business personnel and sportsmen.
The Ownership is divided among 5 members, out of which three are city based business tycoons and the other two are from sporting backgrounds, Sourav Ganguly ( Ex-Indian cricketer), Atletico de Madrid (Spanish football club).
Absence of Bollywood does not make Atletico de Kolkata less appealing and glamorous brightens up the sporty side of the team. As for the star value, they have the Spanish champion’s name and world renowned cricketer’s participation in the team.
#1 Spanish influence in the team
From ownership to the gaffer and players, the Kolkata franchise has a tinge of Spanish flavor in all the departments. The team gets its name from owners Atletico de Madrid. The head coach of the team hails from Spain who has a vast coaching and playing experience in the La Liga.
The Marquee signing is also a Spanish footballer, Luis Garcia a name every football follower in India is familiar with. Out of the eight foreign recruits, 6 are Spanish footballers. This might prove to be an added advantage for Atletico de Kolkata as the understanding among the footballers will be good due to the lack of language barrier. Also, a Spanish style of football can be expected from the team, which is quite interesting and exciting.
