FC Goa good enough to compete in AFC Champions League, can be the best side in Asia: Igor

Spanish striker Igor Angulo had signed up for FC Goa a few months ago on a one-year deal ahead of the upcoming Indian Super League season. The 36-year-old spent the last four seasons in Poland with Gornik Zabrze, where he was amongst the top-two goal-scorers in the Polish Ekstraklasa for three successive seasons. In conversation with Anant Tyagi in a live session on the ISL’s Instagram handle, the player explained the reason behind his move to India and his ambitions with the club. 

FC Goa good enough to compete in AFC Champions League can be the best side in Asia: Igor Angulo

Igor Angulo comes into FC Goa and replaces club legend Ferran Corominas and takes the responsibility to lead the attack and score goals. The player is looking forward to the challenge of playing in Asia for the first time in his career. Angulo rose through the ranks at Athletic Bilbao and made his LaLiga debut for the Spanish outfit in 2003.

The striker went on to play for the likes of Gimnastic, Numancia and Real Union in his homeland before venturing abroad to test himself in foreign conditions, plying his trade in France, Cyprus, Greece and Poland.

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Speaking to ISL, the player spoke about his experiences and why he decided to move to India  "I played in Spain at all the levels. I also played some games in LaLiga with Athletic Bilbao. In the end, I wanted to try something new and that’s why I went to Cyprus, Greece, Poland. Finally, I think, to be a real good player, you have to adapt yourself to any conditions, not only the good ones but the worst ones also. I wanted to test myself and my performance there. I had good numbers, that is why I wanted to try in India. India is a very good challenge for me. I am very ambitious and I want to test myself in every condition. That is why I took the decision to move." 

The player also spoke about former FC Goa star striker Ferran Corominas and said, "Corominas is a legend at the club (FC Goa) and I am going to replace him. So, of course, I feel the pressure but I also felt pressure at Gornik Zabrze as the captain and leader of the team. I felt that the fans expected the best from me. I think it's good for me too, to keep myself motivated and focused on the game. I love it and I don't think it's going to be any different for me."

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The 36-year-old is hopeful of exceeding expectations in terms of the comparisons with Corominas or any other striker in the ISL. Speaking about how his move to FC Goa came about, Angulo remarked, “Ravi Puskur, the Director of Football of FC Goa, called me in the beginning and I felt that they really wanted me and this was key for my decision to move there. I wanted to be in a team that really wants me, I like to be a leader in my team. I’m 36 and was a leader in the last years and I want to continue like this. I think in FC Goa, I am going to be an important player and I wanted it to be like this.”

After finishing first in the league table of the ISL last term, FC Goa will now become the first Indian football club to compete in the group stage of the AFC Champions League and Ifor Angulo believes it will be a great challenge for the FC Goa side and thinks that they can hold their own against the best sides in Asia.  

Igor Angulo mentioned that as another reason for his move to FC Goa. He was quoted as saying - "When I realized that FC Goa will play the AFC Champions League, it was key for my decision to move there and as I said, I am an ambitious player and I want to play against the best teams possible. In India, of course, there are very good teams but if we compete with the best teams in Asia, it is amazing for all of us and it is a good challenge to see which level we really have. I think we are good enough, have a squad good enough to face this high-level competition.”

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