Follow pitch-side reporter Leeza Mangaldas as she takes you behind the scenes this Hero ISL season. New posts every week exclusively on indiansuperleague.com. Connect with Leeza on Instagram or Twitter at @leezamangaldas.

Match Week 11: A Tribute to Iain Hume

There’s a pretty high attrition rate in football, particularly when it comes to foreign players in Asian leagues. Since its inception, the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) has seen its share of foreign players and managers come and go. Some leave to pursue other opportunities, others to hang up their boots, while some are sacked for giving performances that don’t justify their wages. Even just this week we saw several interesting departures and arrivals.

Such is the inevitable churn rate that in fact, there’s only one player who has been here all four seasons. That player is, of course, none other than Iain Hume.

Humey is the only foreigner who’s played across all 4 seasons of the Hero ISL

Not only has he been part of the Hero ISL all four seasons, the teams he played for always reached the playoffs. He was even named the best player of the league when he played for Kerala Blasters in the first season; he won the Fittest Player award with ATK in Season 2, and then won the title with ATK last season, where he was also second in the Golden Boot standings.

While it took him several games to find his scoring boots this season, (as it did last season too), he opened his account in style with a hat-trick away from home – against the Delhi Dynamos three weeks ago, won his team their away game against Mumbai with a solitary goal the following match, and scored a vital penalty again against the Dynamos in the reverse fixture in Kochi this weekend, bolstering an astonishing performance from his 19-year-old Indian teammate Deependra Negi.

Since no other foreign player has played in the Hero ISL as long as ‘Humey’, and given his commendable contributions year after year, I thought I’d get him to reflect on his four years in India, as well as share his take on how the league has evolved since inception. Here are excerpts from our conversation:

What first drew you to India in 2014, the first ever season of the Hero ISL?

To be perfectly honest, I was just looking for a new adventure at the time. It was a league and format that I’d only just heard a few things about. Once doing a little more research about it, and knowing it was only a short tournament format, I thought, why not give it a go? Next thing I knew, I was entering the draft, picked by Kerala Blasters and the rest is history.

You quickly established yourself as a hero in your first stint here and have been a fan favourite since. Did you fall in love with India too? What did you enjoy most and what made you come back year after year?

Honestly, it took me a little while to get used to not playing in the UK, but that was made so much easier with the group of lads we had together at KBFC the first season. Then once I got to play in front of our home fans, the romance grew rapidly, and I’ve loved every minute since. I’ve been fortunate to play in front of – in my eyes – the two best and most passionate sets of fans in India, so what’s not to love about that?

Every season here you’ve made an impact. What do you consider your proudest moments or milestones in your Hero ISL career?

I can easily give you a few. The first season with KBFC was such a surreal experience in my career, playing away from home for the first time, and being so fortunate to have the group of guys we had almost made the fairy tale season end with the trophy.

The second and third seasons at ATK were equally as good for different reasons. In the Season 2, I think I was a part of the best team that’s been in the four seasons, although we just came up short in the semi-finals. One bad game unfortunately defined what was otherwise a remarkable season, both personally and as a team.

Then of course, last season! Finally winning the trophy as part of not just a strong team that was full of belief, but a great mixture of foreign and Indian players, was a major milestone.

How do you think the league has evolved over the four seasons?

I think anyone who has watched the ISL from its infancy to now will agree that the setups and infrastructures of the league have improved year on year. And I think the best and most noticeable part is the continuous improvement of the Indian players, both established and younger lads coming through. They’re now playing with more of a belief in themselves and in turn, are becoming more vital to the successes of their respective teams. I sincerely think that if the league continues to improve, so will the Indian lads and as much or more importantly, the national team.

When you reflect on your own career at large, which spans several countries, what does your time in India mean for you?

These past few years mean the world to me. I took a risk, a chance – in finally leaving the UK and being away from my girls for such long periods of time. My wife has been amazing, taking charge of everything whilst I’m off ‘working’. But on the football side of it, I can’t put into words how thankful I am that I did so. I would have never dreamed I’d be on the same pitch as Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet, Elano, Robert Pires, Joan Capdevila, Alessandro Nesta, Marco Materazzi, David James, Carlos Marchena, Adrian Mutu, Helder Postiga, Luís Garcia, Diego Forlan, Robbie Keane, Lucio, Simao Sabrosa, Nicolas Anelka. Sorry if I missed any! But to come and witness the growth of a country that is crazy about football and see some current stars and more importantly future national team stars play week in and week out is equally as memorable. As most will know, I’m not getting any younger. So, the biggest thing for me is to enjoy playing football as long as I can. And out here, that’s exactly what I’m doing!

Any personal goals you have set for Hero ISL Season 4 and going forward?

Honestly, I’m not a big goal setter. I set small targets to play as many games as I possibly can and do so to my fullest. I know I can contribute to the team, so if or when given the chance to do so, I will give my all for the shirt. It’s great to be back at Kerala Blasters after two years away, but the support of the fans, even when at a rival club, has never wavered but gotten even stronger. So, one thing I want to try and do is help bring some success to this football-loving state, and hopefully put some smiles on faces while doing so!