Want to play in ISL at some point in my career, says Yan Dhanda

This is the fifth part of the Yan Dhanda interview series.

Indian-origin football player Yan Dhanda spoke exclusively on Khel Now’s ‘Beyond the Scores’ podcast on various topics related to his football career. In the first few parts, Yan shared his conversation with AIFF General Secretary Shaji Prabhakaran, his desire to play for India, his take on OCI citizenship, and his favourite Indian players.

In this part of the Podcast, he shares his views of playing in the ISL.

Chances of playing in the ISL

Yan Dhanda said, “Yeah I have already spoken to my family of my desire to play in the ISL (Indian Super League) at some point in my career. But right now, obviously not just me but every single player who plays football across the world would like to play in the EPL (English Premier League) which is the biggest and the most competitive league in the world. My dream is also to play in the Premier League and I am working pretty hard to achieve the goal.

“I definitely want to play in the ISL at some point. As I said before, the Indian Govt and AIFF (All India Football Federation) need to come to an agreement to let me play for India. My ultimate dream is to play for India and in the Premier League and to do both will be a perfect scenario,” he added.

The host (Ashish Negi) agreed upon the point made by Yan Dhanda on his dream to play in the Premier League. If any Indian player gets a chance to play in the EPL, then it will inspire many youngsters back in India. 

A Role Model for the future

The 24-year-old iterated, “I came to India for the first time a couple of years ago. I wanted to visit India every year since then but due to Covid-19, couldn’t travel to India again. I had the chance to meet many people previously when I visited India. The people loved me so much and asked questions on how to become better football players. It is important for kids in India to see someone like me playing in Europe and develop their eagerness to play in Europe in the future. Also when I was a kid, I didn’t get to meet professional footballers but now I need to take up the responsibility of meeting young professionals and share what I have gone through.”

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