Coming in with a wealth of experience having played in Spain and Australia, midfielder Dimas Delgado is now looking forward to a new challenge with Bengaluru FC as they embark on their first campaign in the Indian Super League (ISL).
Delgado has more than just his midfield services to offer as the Spaniard has previously worked with the likes of former Barcelona and present Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola when he was part of the Barcelona reserves set-up earlier on in his career.
The 34-year-old, who last plied his trade with the Western Sydney Wanderers and even captained the side in the A-League and AFC Champions League, expressed his delight at being at BFC and further justified his move.
“It was my family that helped me make my decision. Now, my wife and I have a little girl and Australia is quite a distance from Spain. So we wanted to move to a different place.
“When the BFC offer cropped up, it was an interesting one because I knew the coaches and all the Spanish players in the club. So it was a good option to pick and now I am very happy to be here and want to enjoy my time here with my wife and daughter,” he said.
Having the good fortune to train alongside legends like Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o, Delgado is almost at a loss of words to describe the experience.
“It was a great pleasure. Actually they make it pretty easy. You just need to follow them. Everything will flow.. the playing style, the movement everything is just perfect. You follow the boys and that's it. It was unbelievable. To train with Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Messi.. was just wow! For me it was a fantastic experience.”
After departing from the Barcelona ‘B’ side, Delgado joined La Liga side Numancia in 2008 and despite a shock win against Barcelona the same year, the Soria based side were relegated to the Segunda Division.
Though he did not feature in the 1-0 win over the Spanish giants, Delgado descirbed the emotions he felt during that game.
“At the beginning, it was strange as I was in a different change room. Before the game when I went out I knew all the players and I knew what they were going to do. But when you are playing, you try to do your best and do everything for the club and jersey. It was good that we won the game,” he said.
Bengaluru will begin their pre-season training in Spain and return a few days ahead of their crucial AFC Cup Inter-zonal semifinal clash against North Korean side April 25 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on August 23.
Delgado believes that it will be a keenly fought affair and the Bengaluru side need to be on top of their game.
“It’s a challenge. We have to train harder and we have to focus on precision and prepare everything properly to face this challenge. I think we’re in our way to go forward,” he quipped.
Published 26 July 2017, 19:31 IST