'The ISL is livelier. The world is watching it and many people are coming to the stadiums.'
'This is a proud moment for me because this is where I started my professional career.'
Dudu Omagbemi tells Laxmi Negi what attracted him back to India and why the Hero-Indian Super League could prove a shot in the arm for Indian football.
Macpherlin Dudu Omagbemi was one of the first superstars of the National Football League and I-League. The Nigerian striker enthralled spectators with his foot-work and goal-scoring ability, and was declared 'best player' and 'best forward' in the ninth edition of the now defunct NFL, which was won by Goa's Dempo Sports Club.
Kicking-off his professional career in the country in 2001 with Sporting Clube de Goa, he went on to play for Dempo and Salgaocar in subsequent years before quitting Indian football in 2008 for better opportunities at Wisla Krakow (Poland), Debreceni VSC (Hungary), KuPS (Kuopion Palloseura) and FC Honka (Finland).
Now life has come a full circle for the 29-year-old, popularly know as 'Dudu'. He's back in the land where it all started for him, to play for FC Pune City in the just-launched Indian Super League.
Excerpts from a chat Rediff.com's Laxmi Negi had with him.
You have played in the NFL, I-League and now ISL. What's the difference in these tournaments?
The ISL is livelier. The world is watching it and many people are coming to the stadiums. This is the most interesting time for Indian football.
I heard you wanted to play somewhere in Asia, but not India. What made you change your mind?
I am certainly not regretting my decision. Different things are happening and the ISL has brought so many stars to India. Indian players and players like me have watched these stars on our television screens and today we are playing with them. The ISL has managed to create a Europe-like atmosphere here in India.
So did the ISL bring you back to India?
I came to India to play for East Bengal. I was supposed to travel back to Finland for my holidays, but I suddenly received a call from FC Pune City after the Kolkata season; I wasn’t expecting it. Now I am here and I will do my best.
You have come a long way from Sporting Clube de Goa to Salgaocar, Hungary, Poland and back to India. Do you think Indian football has travelled that long?
It has travelled along with me. This is where I started; I used whatever it taught me in Europe.
You were not among the marquee players and missed out on the auction.
I haven’t missed out on anything. You need to start somewhere. This is the beginning for me. It is my time to prove to these world-class players that even I can play like them.
How do you place yourself in the team?
I am used to Indian conditions and, individually, I have the quality in me to take the team ahead. This experience will help me to prove my detractors wrong. I can showcase that I still have a lot of football left in me.
At the ISL there are television cameras, music, dance all around the football pitch. What do you have to say?
India needed this long time back. If I would have seen this in the I-League, I wouldn’t have left. India would have been a very good nation to play football in. This is the time the I-League should learn from the ISL and make it proud.
This is a proud moment for me because this is where I started my professional career; life has come a full circle!
Players are being watched, fans are cheering from packed stands...
No one knew India is a footballing nation, but the ISL has managed to change that perception. People are watching it live on television. For me, playing here in this atmosphere and playing abroad is one and the same. I don’t see any difference. I feel like this is Europe!
