After a dream season with Hyderabad FC in the 2020-21 Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL), defender Chinglensana Singh is looking to go from strength to strength in the upcoming edition having recently got his contract extended at the club.

“I am super excited for the season ahead. We will give our very best and I hope we can enjoy such moments together. We need your [addressing fans] full support and love! Let’s go, Hyderabad FC…” he told the club’s official website.

“I am absolutely thrilled and excited about what lies ahead of us. Knowing the club’s football philosophy, vision, and good atmosphere made it all easy to commit my future on a long-term deal.”

After an eye-catching performance with the Telangana-based club in India’s premier football league last season, Chinglensana was rewarded with a place in the Indian national team and he went on to make his debut against Oman in March in what was a 1-1 draw in Dubai. Later, in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in Doha, he started against Bangladesh and Afghanistan and gave a good account of himself.

“It was very important for me personally. It is part of my daily routine to make sacrifices and train to be the best version of myself and to play for the country and give my best in Indian colours is a dream. Playing under coach Igor Stimac is a blessing to me merely because of his playing style. Also, his being a defender really helped me learn and improve. Wearing the national team jersey and playing for the country is pure joy,” Chinglensana said.

The 24-year-old featured in 18 games for Manuel Marquez’s team last season that saw him boast a passing accuracy of 84.34% besides 76 clearances, 26 interceptions and 26 tackles. His role in Hyderabad FC finishing fifth on the points table can’t be denied. Shedding light on the season gone by, he said: “My hunger for game time and my continuous efforts in training really helped me to keep improving. All I needed was a playing opportunity which I got at Hyderabad FC. As the season went on, we kept improving and we hope we can do better next season.”

“At Hyderabad, more than individuals, it is all about the team. That is what makes this club beautiful for us to play and for the fans to watch. Having said that, I’m also aware of the responsibility I have in the team and I will be doing my best in all of my roles confidently.”

Chinglensana also admitted that head coach Marquez did play an important role in his contract extension till the 2024-25 season. He also mentioned the things that have made Hyderabad FC such a force to reckon with in such a short span of time having made their Hero ISL debut only in 2019-20. “Of course, Manuel Marquez had a role in it. For him to trust all of us and to support us throughout the season was amazing. We, as players, learned so much from him and what excites me more is the chance to continue working with him and fight for the challenges ahead of us, together,” he said.

“In football, continuity and understanding among teammates is very important and it creates a beautiful football chemistry on and off the field. At Hyderabad FC, this is one of the key factors for the consistency of our performances.”