October 12, 2014, will forever be remembered as a landmark day in the history of Indian football. The very special Sunday marked the inception of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL), with the inaugural match between ATK, then called Atletico de Kolkata, and Mumbai City FC being played at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. The historic match, which ATK won 3-0, saw its fair share of moments, but none perhaps more special than a long-range scorcher by a 33-year-old Spaniard. Borja Fernandez etched his name in the Hero ISL folklore with the magnificent strike and bagging the very first Hero of the Match awarded in the league's history.

The former Real Madrid player kicked on from there and made himself a cult hero among ATK fans, playing a pivotal role in winning the Kolkata-based side two titles in three seasons - first in 2014 and then again in 2016. The combative midfielder played a total of 47 matches for ATK, scoring two goals along the way. Borja is still considered to be one of the best midfielders to play in the Hero ISL.

Borja celebrates his goal in the first-ever Hero ISL match.

Three years on, the 38-year-old currently plays for top-flight Spanish club Real Valladolid but the memory of that special night in the City of Joy is still fresh in the Spaniard's mind. "I arrived in India and nobody knew me. Nevertheless, they got informed and read that I played for the Real Madrid 'Galacticos'. We played the first match with 84,000 in attendance and I scored a spectacular goal - one of the few in my career. After the game, they awarded me Most Valuable Player (MVP). It was the first time the Indian league gave this prize," he reminisced fondly during an interview.

The midfielder also credited his time in India for giving his career a new lease of life. "There are friends who go there and text me to ask what had happened there with me. The things went right. At a moment you can see the end of your career and in another part of the world, you are super famous. It feels great. People say India changes your life," the Spaniard revealed.

For foreign players, adjusting to life in India is never easy. Getting used to a different culture and lifestyle also took time for Borja, but he remembers India with extreme fondness and is eager to come back someday. "I went there (to India) and in the first days, I was in a shock. After some months, you realize it is another culture, another lifestyle - (something) completely different. The experience in India has been precious. I definitely want to go back," he said