Slovenian forward Luka Majcen has grown in Indian football over the years and become popular among the fans. He is a two-time I-League champion and was also the “Player of the League” and Golden Boot winner of the 2022-23 I-League season, which saw Punjab FC earn promotion to the Indian Super League (ISL).

As he enters his fifth season in India, Majcen has extended his stay with Punjab FC for a third season.

Reflecting on his time in India, he said, “I am really enjoying India and that’s why I am coming back year after year. It took me some time to get into the ISL, which was my main focus at the beginning but overall I’ve loved my time here. I love the country, I love the people, I love the friends that I made; it feels like my second home.”

Majcen played a vital role in helping the team become the first-ever club to be promoted to the ISL under Staikos Vergetis. Despite the change in leadership at the club, the forward has continued to have a positive influence under the new head coach, Panagiotis Dilmperis.

“From the first Zoom meetings that we had, he explained to us very clearly his expectations from us. We have very good communication and mutual respect. For everything, he makes sure to explain why it is done in a certain manner and what the expected outcome is. And I think, we as a team are responding well to his instructions and we are trusting the process,” Majcen said.

This is the third edition of the Durand Cup that Majcen is participating in. He featured in the 130th edition with Bengaluru United FC, where he reached the semifinals and scored in the group stage against finalist Mohammedan SC. However, in the last edition, he endured a dry spell with debutant Punjab FC.

In the ongoing Durand Cup, Majcen has already found the back of the net three times in Punjab FC’s opening two fixtures.

“I feel honoured to be featuring in Asia’s oldest tournament. There are ISL teams with reserve sides, there are teams from lower divisions and also teams from the armed forces. It is a good way to start the preseason; you get the competitive games before the long season ahead and as a player, you need these matches,” Luka spoke about the Durand Cup’s role as the official season kick-starter of Indian Football.

Punjab FC have performed well so far in the Durand Cup and will be aiming for a win against Mumbai City FC's reserve side to keep their quarterfinal qualification hopes alive. They will also use the Durand Cup as a platform to build chemistry between the new coach and the players.

“Initially, I didn’t know how we would react, how we would adjust to the new coach, even though there was a huge change in the players’ roster. But I think we found the chemistry from the first day, the first practice. The coach started with the basics and eventually prepared us for the first match, where everyone knew their roles really well. But in football, it’s almost difficult to play simple but I think we managed to keep it simple in our opening two games. Personally, I got a lot of chances in front of goals and was able to score thrice. So, for me as well as for the whole team, it’s been a positive start so far,” he concluded after shedding light on the team’s performance in the initial phase of the season.

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Punjab FC2023-2024 Luka Majcen