Hero Indian Super League’s inaugural winners Atlético de Kolkata recently retained the services of Iain Hume ahead of the third season. Having ended Season 2 as their top-scorer with 11 goals to go along with his four assists, Hume, who moved to ATK from Kerala Blasters FC after the first season, is again ready to spearhead Atlético’s attack in Season 3. Speaking to indiansuperleague.com in an exclusive interview ahead of the new season, Hume raved about his Hero ISL experience so far.“I've loved every minute to be honest. Being able to play for the two best supported football states in India has made the last two seasons unforgettable. But the fans across the country on a whole have made the experience of the first two Hero ISLs memorable, not just for me but for every player that's been fortunate enough to be involved,” said Hume.The Canadian striker, who seems to be getting better with age after improving on his first season goal tally in Season 2, was also quick to shower praise on his ATK team-mates. “I've always believed in my ability to score goals, and especially last season with players like Doutie, Gavilan, Borja & Arata playing beside me, it makes the job a whole lot easier,” he said.Another reason behind Hume’s exceptional conditioning could be his unquenchable desire to be on the football pitch. And if his time away from the Hero ISL after Season 2 is anything to go by, it’s easy to see why. “I never really had much time off since ISL 2. I had games with the Canada squad in the middle of January and then I signed for SD Ponferradina in the Spanish Segunda Division. Our season only ended on June 4th and then I was straight in the Canada squad again for a game on June 7th. So, no rest for the wicked!” quipped the 32-year-old.When quizzed on what he missed most about the league since its second edition got over last year in December, Hume said: “I miss most things to be honest, as they've progressively been getting better and better! But the main thing for me has got to be the atmosphere at the stadiums and the build-ups to the games.”There is no doubt that Hume is in a good position to judge the progress made by Indian football due to his association with the Hero ISL from day one. “Everything is progressing week by week, not just year by year. Players are getting better and more confident, and you can see that in the way they play. In the ISL you can see the change, the infrastructure is improving i.e. training grounds, professionalism etc.,” he said.The Canadian international’s Hero ISL exploits are too many to count and he admitted that picking just one moment from a spate of glorious memories would be hard for him. “I've got a load! Scoring my first career hat-trick [then a second one], playing in front of 60,000 plus spectators at the Salt Lake Stadium every game. The goal versus Chennaiyin in the second semi-final is one I'll never forget! Full of great memories but still plenty of room to add more,” he said.Hume also spoke about why he rates his first hat-trick for ATK against Mumbai City FC more highly than his second against FC Pune City. “I would have to say the Mumbai one solely for the fact it was my first hat-trick of my career and my first goals for ATK. But I'm like every striker, hitting the back of the net is one of the best feelings in the world, so they're equally cherished.”The second highest scorer in the history of the league, Hume also championed the improvements made by the league last season. “As mentioned before, the infrastructure on a whole has really improved, and the little extension last season from the first year which added a bit more rest time between games obviously helped and the displays from each team showed that,” he said.Commenting on former ATK head coach Antonio Habas’ move to FC Pune City ahead of the new season, Hume said: “I had a very good relationship with Mister and he had great trust and belief in me last season which helped me perform the way that I did personally. It was obviously a big surprise for him not to stay at ATK, but that is football, and I sincerely wish him and Miguel all the best [apart from two games] for next season.”With the Euro 2016 in France taking the football world by storm, Hume also picked his favourite to lift the trophy. “That is a tough one! This is proving to be one of the most even tournaments I've seen in a long time! Pre-Euro favourites are obviously France, Germany and Spain. But you can never count out the Italians! Tough one to pick a winner but I'll stick with my choice from the start and say France! I think the home crowd will pull them over the line,” concluded Hume.
