Clifford Miranda is currently one of the mainstays of the Indian national team. His ability to dribble and cross from the left wing make him a valuable asset to the Indian set up as well as to his club, Dempo, whom he has represented for the last 15 years with great success. The crafty midfielder-winger will now look to win the inaugural Hero Indian Super League 2014 with FC Goa. Here are some excerpts from an exclusive interview with Indiansuperleague.com…How have the preparations for the ISL been so far? Is the team ready for the first match?The preparations have been going well so far. The coach and all the players have come in at the right time. Some players were away on national duty but they’re all back now. We’ve got the facilities, personnel, players and of course, the coach. As of today, we’re ready for the first match.What are your impressions about the coach Zico? How has the team responded to his training methods?It goes without saying that he has been a great player himself as well as a great coach. All the players love his ideas. He goes by the simple philosophy of keeping possession of the ball and the players have responded very well to this because it makes the game much simpler to play. What he tells us isn’t rocket science. It’s just simple instructions and we’re doing exactly that.What are your expectations from him for the team and for you as an individual?As I said earlier, he’s been a great player and all we want to do is learn from him. He has just one motto and we share the same belief with him and that is to go out and win the tournament. Every time we get on to the pitch, we will do so to win the tournament.What does Robert Pirès bring to the team?Everyone is aware that he’s been a great player, especially in that ‘Invincible’ Arsenal team. But Pirès has another side to him as well. He’s a great human being. He makes us feel comfortable, inspires us to perform and has no airs about himself despite his stature. He’s played at the highest level of football, won the World Cup and has won almost every trophy there is to win, yet, he’s a humble man. Now he’s here with us and gives us confidence, shares his experience with us and inspires us to be better players.Who influenced you to become a footballer?My greatest influence was my father. He always wanted me to become a footballer. When I was young, I had the choice of becoming a pilot or a footballer. I was a good student academically. But my father always dreamed of me playing football. His friends often tell me that he talked constantly about making his son a football professional. Maybe he used to just say it in passing, but his friends constantly relate the story to me. Today, he’s no more but I’m sure he’s somewhere watching with pride. It was always his dream to see me play for the Indian national team and I’m glad that I was able to achieve that.What have been the most memorable moments in your club career?There have been quite a few memorable moments with Dempo. The one that comes to mind immediately was winning the first I-League title. It happened under dramatic circumstances. We were the third team vying for the title on the last day of the league and we quite frankly were the third best and we ended up turning that around and winning the title. Reaching the semi-finals of the AFC Cup was another proud moment. Another moment that I can never forget was Dempo winning the Federation Cup for the first time in the club’s history but that day was marred since we lost our colleague Cristiano Junior. I could not express my emotion then and it is still difficult to express even to this day.What have been the highlights of your career with the national team?Qualifying for the Asian Cup after 24 years was a great achievement.You have played under a number of coaches in the national team set up. What have you learned from them?Every coach comes with his own set of strategies, beliefs and philosophy. I have picked up something from every one of them. Right from Sukhwinder Singh to Bob Houghton, Armando Colaco and Wim Koevermans. They have all made me a better player. All of them were great coaches in their own way.Finally, what do you think the ISL can bring to Indian football?The ISL is something that will introduce fresh air into Indian football and anything that works for the betterment of Indian football is always welcome.
