Sunil Chhetri couldn't have asked for a better Indian Super League (ISL) debut. After missing out on the inaugural season, he now sits pretty on top of goal-scoring charts, reviving Mumbai City FC from a forgettable performance in the last edition.
The poster boy of Indian football, who took over from the iconic Baichung Bhutia, has lived up to his big billing with six goals, including a hat-trick - justifying the tag of 'costliest player' at the pre-season auction.
Talking to IBNLive ahead of Mumbai's match against Delhi Dynamos on Friday, Chhetri said Mumbai achieving its first objective of qualifying for the playoffs is more important than him winning the Golden Boot award.
He has no doubt that ISL has improved from last season and will keep growing over the next few years, but the Indian super star feels the league needs the biggest of stars to reach the level Major League Soccer (MLS) has achieved.
It's your first season in Indian Super League - how has been you experience so far?
It has been pretty good. I am enjoying my time in ISL. As a team, we did not have a good enough start as we lost first three games. But the team has fought back well to win the next three games. [But] We again hit a speed-breaker as we were thrashed by Atletico de Kolkata 4-1. So we have to take each game one by one.
You have already scored six goals this season and are the top scorer at the moment. Where do you see yourself and Mumbai going from here? Golden boot for you?
Golden boot is not at all on my mind. It has never been and will never be on my mind. Personal achievements are always secondary. When team gets three points, it feels nice and everything else does not matter after that. If I score a hat-trick but the team loses, it will not feel nice. So for me and the team it's all about three points. Who scores is not important.
How has been your experience of sharing the dressing room with Nicolas Anelka and other foreign stars?
It has been great learning experience. Great to see some different cultures in the dressing room. It is good we have camaraderie in our team. Everyone is learning from one another. Everyone is happy; that is more important. It's not just about Anelka. We have other foreign stars who are exciting prospects, such as Bustos, Bertin and many more. We all help each other and help our team grow.
Mumbai City FC have been inconsistent so far. Do you think you guys can make it to top 4?
It is a very crucial match. We can see that every team is just one win away from each other. So we can't read too much into the past performances. It is very important that every game you play you give your best performance. We haven't been good away from home - not only this season but last year as well. So we have to keep that in mind ahead of Delhli clash [on Friday] and play there as a unit. We have to be organised and score goals at the same time. We have five away games out of the seven [remaining], so we have to be careful.
Since you have played all across the country in ISL, I-League and for the national team - which ground has the best turf and facilities?
It is difficult but one ground that has impressed me the most is Guwahati. I haven't played there in an ISL game but I played there for the national team against Nepal and by far it has the best pitch [in the country] I have played on in a long time.
Can ISL attract big names like MLS has done over past few years?
Every year it's improving. [From] What you saw last year, ISL is much more improved this year. Top brass at ISL wants the league to improve every year. I can't guarantee in how many years we will be at MLS level but definitely you will see ISL improve year after year. That is the whole mantra - ISL should improve every year, I-League should improve every year. We should try and promote football as much as we can in India and fans should come out in numbers to support the teams and the players.
There have been talks of ISL and I-league merger? Don't you think both leagues should have separate identity?
When it comes to league, I think we all agree on the part that there should be just one league in the country. ISL or I-League, I won't name any league. But we should have one league, more teams, more players. Everyone who loves football in our country wants more teams and a better calendar. And I am sure ISL, I-League and the federation will sit down and come out with a decision; and whatever they decide will be good for football in the country.
You have played in Portugal for Sporting Lisbon - how was your experience there and what is the biggest stumbling block for Indian football?
Opportunity with Sporting was huge. I was training with one of the best players in the world. I was training with them from Monday to Friday but was not playing a lot on the match days, so that was upsetting my brain. I played just five games there but that was also from the bench, so not playing 90 minutes was really bothering me. I had a four-year long deal with them and had an option to stay there and improve as a player but not getting chances was not good enough for me. As far as training is concerned, Sporting Lisbon is one of the best clubs in the world.
One player you would love to see in ISL next year?
(Smiles) I wish Lionel Messi comes here and play next year. It depends on what the format is next year, how many months and matches will be there. But I want top players to come here and improve ISL.
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