Who says height doesn’t matter in football? Clocking in at an imposing 6’ 10” (2.08 m), Kristof van Hout towers over the rest of the pack in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL). Arguably the tallest professional football player in the world, the imposing 27-year-old Belgian goalkeeper acknowledges that his height will confer on him a decisive advantage over his rivals in the upcoming tournament. “Yes, definitely, I can reach shots because of my arm span. It has its positives,” the Delhi Dynamos FC goalkeeper said in an exclusive interview with indiansuperleague.com.Van Hout comes to India after making his breakthrough at minnows KV Kortrjik, a stint with Belgian giants Standard Liège and a return to Kortrijk. He made 31 appearances for the club as they qualified for the European playoffs and next moved to powerhouse Genk, getting a taste of European action with a handful of Europa League appearances.Van Hout is one of two Belgians in the Delhi Dynamos FC squad, along with defender Wim Raymaekers. The goalkeeper believes the rapport between the two will help them both settle into the new surroundings. They chatted during their flight from Belgium to India and discovered that they shared “common goals and objectives” and are looking forward to the competition.“I feel it is going to be an extremely strong league going forward,” Van Hout enthused, adding that he expects “all the efforts going into hosting this tournament will certainly bear fruit”. He is happy to note that “all I have received ever since arriving in India are good positive vibes”.He is ready to offer his tips to India’s young, aspiring footballers. A firm believer in the importance of practice, the Belgian keeper felt that “practice is the best mantra a youngster can have in his kitty”. “Regular practice and training is the key to a young footballer’s development,” he said. Speaking specifically about goalkeepers, Van Hout revealed that he is waiting to see what India’s budding shotstoppers have to offer: “I am actually looking forward to seeing the level and talents of Indian goalkeepers.”Van Hout will face competition from Indian rookie Jagroop Singh and Czech veteran Marek Cech to be manager Harm van Veldhoven’s first choice between the posts. But he is clearly relishing the challenge. “I am ready to compete against them for a first team spot. I am very ambitious and I know that I can push myself to perform well,” he said.When asked if he was excited to test himself against marquee signing Alessandro Del Piero, Van Hout’s excitement was palpable. “Of course! He is one of the most recognised players in the world. I am looking forward to playing in the same team with him,” Van Hout said, before cheekily adding, “and also, to keep him from scoring during training!”