ISL: "I must thank the ISL for giving me an opportunity and believing in my abilities"

Mumbai City FC's Lallianzuala Chhangte has credited the ISL for helping him grow not only as a professional but also as a human. The winger also heaped praise on the league for doing "a lot of good work" by serving as a perfect platform for several talented young Indian footballers across the nation over the last decade.

In an interaction with the league, Chhangte, 26, expressed his gratitude for the impact that the ISL has made in his career and the opportunities it has provided to showcase his potential to the Indian footballing fraternity.

"I started my first professional club with NorthEast United FC and that was back in 2016. If the clubs and the ISL had not given me the chance to prove myself, I wouldn’t be here today, because they have helped me build my skills and character, both as a player and a human being. I have become more mature lately. I would thank the league for giving me an opportunity, trusting me, and believing in my abilities," he said.

The Indian international, who began his career with the Highlanders in 2016, has gone on to establish himself as one of the mainstays in the Blue Tigers' line-up. Apart from his current stint with Mumbai City FC, Chhangte has also represented the Delhi Dynamos FC and Chennaiyin FC in the ISL.

An optimistic Chhangte also hopes that the league and the Indian players who are a part of it will get more recognition from other countries in the future.

"The league is developing better and hopefully with more clubs coming in and playing more games will help us become a better player. When you play more matches, it helps you in the national team. The ISL is doing a lot of good work, hopefully, they continue to do so, helping young players like me develop every day, hopefully, who can go on to play for the national team. I hope one day we will have more recognition from the other countries as well," he added.

"Senior players encouraged me to do well for the club because when you do well for the club, you get an opportunity for the national team too" - Lallianzuala Chhangte

Lallainzuala Chhangte wore the prestigious blue jersey of the Indian team for the first time in December 2015 against Sri Lanka in a SAFF Championship fixture. He was just an 18-year-old when he made his senior team debut. In his second appearance for India, the Mizoram-based player proved his credentials to the world by scoring a brace for his nation against Nepal.

About the setbacks he faced just after his debut and how the senior players in the team motivated him to believe in his abilities which made him come back stronger when he was left out of even the list of probable, the 2022-23 ISL's Golden Ball winner opened up by saying:

"I was just 18 when I first played for the national team. I had some setbacks after that. I wasn’t able to perform for the national team, and there were certain times that I was not even in the list (of probable). I kept working very hard. Senior players like Sunil bhai, Sandesh bhai, and Gurpreet, have been very helpful even when I was not even in the team. They encouraged me to do well for the club because when you do well for the club, you get an opportunity for the national team too."

The Mumbai City FC star has so far scored seven goals for India in 32 appearances. Last season, he was instrumental in the Islanders' ISL League Winners' Shield victory, registering 10 goals and six assists.

Currently, Mumbai City are leading the 2023-24 ISL league standings with 41 points from 19 matches.