Stiven Mendoza is all set to return for the second edition of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) with Chennaiyin FC. If you recall, the 23-year-old Colombian was one of the most exciting players from last season. A perfect combination of power and pace with an eye for a goal, Mendoza made an instant impact after joining the southern club in 2014 from Colombian outfit Envigado. Mendoza scored an impressive four goals including a brace in his seven starts and two outings from the bench.An unfortunate injury cut his season short but the impact in his short stint was enough to attract attention from Brazilian giants Corinthians. Mendoza has been a regular member of the Brazilian side which reached the semi-finals of the 2015 Sao Paulo state championship and are sitting atop the Brazilian Serie A table. Mendoza has already found the net thrice for that team.The striker has joined Chennaiyin on loan and the club’s co-owner Vita Dani said, “We are absolutely delighted to have Mendo back for this year’s ISL. We are so proud to see him playing in the Brazilian league but it was always our desire to have him back during the ISL, so I would like to thank Corinthians for agreeing to this loan deal.“Mendo was outstanding for us last year and a big fan favourite so I am sure our passionate fans will be excited about his return. We hope to see Mendo perform even better this time and wish him all the best for the same,” she averred.The Colombian will be making a return to the “Marina Arena” and will bolster the Chennai outfit’s attack which already consists of last year’s top goal scorer, Elano, new signing Fikru (who scored 5 goals for champions Atlético de Kolkata last season) along with ace Indian strikers Jeje Lalpekhlua and Balwant Singh.Chennaiyin head coach Marco Materazzi, who is in Perugia, Italy, with the squad for the season reacted to Mendoza’s return saying, “I am very happy to have Mendoza back with us for this year’s ISL. We had been working very hard for our foreign signings and always knew that it would be difficult to find a player of Mendoza’s calibre. So the best solution was to retain Mendoza and I am thankful to Corinthians for the agreement. He was one of our best players last year but he is still only 23 and thus there is plenty of room for improvement and I have full faith in him to make a big difference for us this time also.”The young footballer himself expressed his excitement at the prospect of playing in the ISL again. Mendoza stated, “I am very excited to join Chennaiyin FC on loan for the second season of the ISL. It is an honour playing for Corinthians in Brazil and I have been enjoying my experience there. But I had some fantastic moments in the ISL last year so I would like to thank Chennaiyin FC and Marco for giving me the opportunity to come back.”“I am grateful to Corinthians for agreeing to this move and I know that this time there will be more expectations from me. It was wonderful to be at Chennaiyin FC last year both on and off the pitch so I can’t wait to get started again and especially play in front of our home fans at the Marina Arena.”And in typical Mendoza style, the striker had a message for his fans and opponents alike. “Last year I couldn’t play the full tournament due to injury but this time I want to remain fit throughout and help Chennaiyin become the champions.”Stiven Mendoza and Chennaiyin FC will be on show right from the start of the Hero ISL when they host the season opener against first champions Atlético de Kolkata on October 3rd.
