Tom Aldred shone bright in his debut season with Mohun Bagan Super Giant, as he has been an integral part of their first-ever Indian Super League (ISL) double-winning campaign. The experienced defender conveyed his gratitude towards the Mariners’ thousands of supporters, as he believed they played a pivotal role in their remarkable 2024-25 campaign.

A stalwart at the back, Aldred formed a formidable partnership with Alberto Rodriguez at the heart of MBSG’s defense. Throughout the season, the Australian defender led the Mariners’ backline with his sharp tackling and quick game-reading skills.

Strong in the air, robust in duels, and with the sheer ability to lead the defence, Aldred was a strong pillar in MBSG’s League Shield triumph and Cup glory in the 2024-25 season. With 14 clean sheets to his name, Aldred’s presence in MBSG’s defense line was truly felt throughout the season as he racked up 79 clearances, 85 recoveries, 16 blocks, and 17 interceptions.

Aldred recently penned a one-year extension with the Mariners, extending his stay at the club following such a fantastic debut season. The defender shared his pleasure at committing his future to MBSG and wants to achieve more glorious feats with the club.

“Obviously I'm very excited and delighted with it. I think there's no doubt in my mind I wanted to continue with the club. Not just the success we had last season, but also the club itself and people at the club,” Aldred said to MBSG TV.

“After the season, my goal was to try and extend and obviously continue with the club. I'm excited; I'm looking forward to hopefully more success with the club,” he added.

The Mariners displayed their utmost grit and sheer determination all throughout the 2024-25 season. Under the guidance of Jose Molina, MBSG showcased dominating performances consistently and scripted their names into the league record books by becoming the only second team to complete an ISL double.

Despite having experienced a nearly picture-perfect season, the 2024-25 season started with a heartbreak where MBSG succumbed to a defeat on penalties in the Durand Cup final against NorthEast United FC. Molina’s men also suffered a 0-3 loss against Bengaluru FC in their first away game of the season, daunting a strong challenge in the opening phase of the season.

Aldred acknowledged such setbacks helped to analyze their performances and boost the team’s morale that propelled them to enjoy a record-making and successful campaign.

“When we lost in the Durand Cup final, that was a big moment because we knew that we were at the club to win trophies. We obviously didn’t get over the line in that one. And then we still had a bit of a rocky start and got a 0-3 defeat against Bengaluru FC. Since then we went on a run; maybe those were probably two points in the season where, first of all, we realized that when we play final games, we need to get over the line,” Aldred said.

“And secondly, that result was kind of the catalyst to obviously kick on. Every time we got beat, we went on a (winning) run, which is what good teams do if they get beat. They put it behind them, learned from it, and we kicked on, and we were able to do that. So at every defeat—I think we had two defeats in the season—we were able to go on a run and learn from it,” he added.

Aldred revealed the strong dressing room bond throughout the season made a strong impact on MBSG’s performance, saying:

“We trust and have faith in each other as teammates. I remember when we got beat in the first leg of the semi-final, we came to the dressing room, and we all just said to each other that we would win the next games. I think that belief and trust in each other, we know, if we’re up, we’re at our best. We can beat anyone.”

“That was something that we formed throughout the season. We played a lot of games together. When you play and win a lot of games, you build up that trust in each other,” he added.

Aldred spent most of his professional career in England and Scotland before coming to India. The experienced defender figured out similarities among the fanbases in India and the UK, given their unwavering match-winning desire and collective spirit to stand by their teams in every up and down.

“Fanbases in India, obviously at MBSG, are probably as similar to the fanbases of clubs in the UK. Because they demand results. Football is all about winning for me, and that’s what it’s all about,” he shared.

“When you become professional, you train all week as best as you can to perform as well as you can on a weekend and get three points and win a game. There is always that demand from clubs to win games, and football leagues are exactly like that,” he further added.

MBSG demonstrated their sheer prowess at VYBK as they went unbeaten while playing at home. Aldred opined that the fans’ relentless support in every single game and their passion played a pivotal role in their dominating run at home in the 2024-25 season.

“We always felt we could beat any team over the course of 90 minutes. We have shown it throughout the season. With the fans that we’ve got there, in the atmosphere that they create, it obviously helps us massively as players. Probably the opposition team, they feel also,” he remarked.

“It’s almost like that 12th man effect. We showed all throughout the season. We’re unbeaten there (at VYBK), which is pretty special. We’ve just had to continue that. Definitely, people call homes a fortress, and definitely that was one,” he carried on.

Aldred heaped praise on the MBSG faithful, who have always stuck to the players through thick and thin and motivated the players with their vocal chants and lively tifos during the match.

Speaking in context, Aldred said, “Incredible fans. Obviously you have to see the numbers of what we get in the stadium. But it's not just the numbers. They really do support us; get behind the team."

"It's phenomenal to have this amount of fans at the games. Fortunately, last season, we were able to give them what they wanted,” he concluded.