Pedro Martin: India needs to have more football schools for children

The Spaniard believes Josep Gombau is one of the best coaches in the league.

Pedro Martin has been one of the most talked about footballers in the ISL 2022-23, especially due to his performance in the first few matches. From winning the Europa League with Atletico Madrid in 2012 to scoring three goals in his first stint in India, Pedro Martin has indeed come a long way in his over a decade-long football career. Since beginning his senior career with the reserve side of Atletico Madrid in 2010, he had spent his entire career in Spain before signing for Odisha FC this season. Thus, his arrival in India marked a radical shift in footballing culture for him.

The Spanish forward has looked threatening whenever he has been on the pitch. Even in lacklustre games, his workload and hunger have caught the eye of football pundits. Yet, lately, the striker is going through a goal drought - he has not scored in his last seven appearances. If not for Diego Mauricio hitting top form, Pedro's dry spell might have been a cause of worry for Josep Gombau. But for players like Pedro, it takes only one game to get back to form. With the business end of the season knocking at the doors, fans will definitely want him to get back to form and devastate oppositions' defences again.

Amidst all these, Khel Now got a chance to have an exclusive chat with the star Spanish striker. The Spaniard talked his heart out to us and expressed his feelings about playing in India.

On his experience of playing in India

This is the first stint of Pedro outside Spain. After playing in Spain for throughout his life, he straightaway chose to land in India. Despite having offers from several countries, he signed for Odisha FC. The Spaniard talked about his feeling of playing in India.

He said, "This is my first time in India. I am very happy to have come to India because it has been a very good experience here. I am saying this because the people in India are very good. My teammates and all the other boys help me a lot in everything. My teammates are very funny and I am very happy to share my time with my teammates and the Indian people."

The principal difference in the football culture of Spain and India

Pedro Martin, having spent the entirety of his football career in Spain, is the right person to talk about the fundamental differences between the football cultures of both countries. It is also an essential question to ask as such differences in culture have given rise to the vast difference in the quality of football. He said, "I played in Spain for around 10-12 years. The principal difference between both countries' football is how the children play football in both these countries. In Spain, almost every child plays football, while in India, children mainly play cricket, and sometimes badminton and football."

The forward added the following regarding the steps that India should undertake to develop its football, "There are a lot of football schools in Spain. Here, I think that number is very less. The principal change that India needs to have is to build more schools for children. Then these children can play football from a very early point in their lives."

Pedro's chemistry with Gombau and the USPs of the system deployed by the Spanish coach

Pedro Martin shared his experience of working with Josep Gombau. He asserted that Gombau is one of the best coaches in the league. The forward opined, "Josep is a very good coach, one of the best in the league. I feel very comfortable playing under his system. Playing as a striker, I am extremely comfortable in his system."

The project at Odisha FC and Pedro's role in it

The 31-year-old talked about the philosophy at Odisha FC and how the team functions. He heaped a lot of praise on the team and asserted the team is slated to finish better than they did last season. He said, "I think Odisha FC is an excellent team in ISL. The team works very hard. Last year, the season did not go well for Odisha. Hence, this year, the club is working harder than how it did last time."

Pedro talked about his role at Odisha FC. He reiterated the philosophy of the club and stated that it aligns with his own philosophy, making it easy for him to work on his personal goals as achieving those will ultimately help his club achieve glory. He said, "My aim at the club is the same - work hard for Odisha and go to the next level with the club. My objective this season is to score six/seven goals. Odisha can help me to achieve my objective and score these goals. Moreover, I think it is very much possible for Odisha to finish on top of the points table by the end of the league."

Where does Pedro see Odisha FC at the end of the season?

The 31-year-old made his prediction regarding Odisha FC's season. He is hopeful about achieving a table-top finish by the end of the league stage. Even if that does not happen, he sounded confident about reaching the playoffs, from where they will take a game-by-game approach for the knockout matches.

"We are now in the fifth position. But I think it is possible to get to the top of the table. If that does not happen, we will still play in the playoffs and win in the playoffs. I am claiming this because I train with my teammates every day. Our team has very good quality and we are aware of the importance this season has for us," he concluded.