Lallianzuala Chhangte will be one of the youngsters to watch out for in the upcoming edition of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL). The talented 20-year-old is a versatile attacker who is comfortable playing up front as well as on the wings. Even though he made just one appearance for NorthEast United FC last year, he is looking forward to making his mark with Delhi Dynamos FC in the 2017-18 edition of the ISL. The youngster recently sat down with indiansuperleague.com and spoke about his development.The attack-minded prospect from Mizoram was eagerly awaiting the prospect of lacing up his boots for the team from the national capital. “I am very excited to join a new club, I’ll get to know more about the club and the players in the coming few weeks, and am looking forward to it,” he enthused.While he does not model his game on any particular player, he does have a favourite player and country whose style of play he admires. “I don’t model my style on anyone that much, but I like Cristiano Ronaldo’s style of playing, I [also] like playing ground balls and passing around the players; that is why I like [Spain’s] tiki-taka [approach] a lot,” Chhangte said.The 20-year-old also welcomed the idea of a longer ISL, pointing out how it will benefit the players. “The players will have more time to rest and they will be more consistent then,” he explained. “They will get more time to train and more time for recovery. After a match, the muscles get sore, so recovery is very important,” he opined.When asked who he thought were the best defenders and the players he loved watching the most, he said: “Sandesh [Jhingan] and Anas [Edathodika] are the strongest defenders around, I don’t have any favourite [players], but I love to see the way [Sunil] Chhetri and Jeje [Lalpekhlua] play.”Commenting on his love for the beautiful game and how the league has benefitted domestic talent, Chhangte added: “I love football because when the ball is with me, I am very happy and it teaches me the way of life. The future of Indian football is bright. This is partly because a lot of foreigners are coming, which is good for the Indians.”Chhangte concluded the interview by stating who he thought were one of the biggest assets of the ISL. “The best thing about the ISL are the fans. The passion they have and the way they cheer for us when we are down, is the most important thing.”
