Nicolas Anelka has been retained by Mumbai City FC for Season 2 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL). The dynamic French striker began his career with Paris Saint-German in 1996 and was part of the French squad that won the UEFA European Championship in 2000 and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001. Anelka extending his stay with Mumbai City FC comes as a major boost for the club in their bid to win the league this season.The mercurial Frenchman’s vast European experience and pedigree are sure to be a welcome addition to any side. On his return to Mumbai, he said, “I am glad to be back in Mumbai City FC again. I really enjoyed my time there last season and I can't wait to see Mumbai, India and all you fans again.”Anelka will be looking to add to his trophy cabinet by winning the prestigious ISL and enhancing his collection of silverware that has seen him winning domestic leagues in England, Italy and Turkey. He has also won the FA Cup on three occasions and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid under the tutelage of Vicente del Bosque. Anelka’s experience of rubbing shoulders with top footballers at clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester Cityand Real Madrid offers Mumbai an extra edge leading into this year’s competition.Having missed the opening phase of the first edition of the ISL, Anelka will be looking to improve on his performance from the previous year which saw him end the season with two assists and two goals to his name. The enigmatic footballer who has been capped 69 times by France featured seven times for Mumbai City FC in Season 1. His stunning free kick against Kerala Blasters FC remains one of the highlights from the tournament last year and Mumbai will be hoping for more of the same in the upcoming season.Mumbai City FC kickstart their campaign this year against FC Pune City on October 5th and will be hoping to go further this year with Anelka available for the entire duration of the league.
