New Delhi, September 23
Iain Hume, a legendary figure in the Indian Super League (ISL), described his time playing in Kerala and Kolkata as an extraordinary experience, marked by the unique atmosphere he encountered in India.
In the final stages of his professional career, the Canadian international played for Kerala Blasters FC (KBFC), Atletico de Kolkata (ATK), and FC Pune City (FCPC), making 69 appearances and scoring 29 goals.
Hume joined the league in its inaugural season in 2014, debuting with Kerala Blasters FC. In his first season, he featured in 13 games, scoring four goals and providing two assists.
"In the first couple of years, there was a very carnival atmosphere. Every game was a spectacle. We had the 10-second countdown on the big screen going into the game, fireworks for every goal, and big flares when we walked out. I felt like Stone Cold coming out," Hume said in an exclusive interview with Footy Prime, as quoted by ISL.
In a country where cricket is deeply ingrained in the culture and identity of its people, Indians have shown unwavering support and unconditional love for football. According to ISL, Hume witnessed this passion firsthand, particularly in Kerala and Kolkata, where football fandom is passed down through generations. He ranked football second only to cricket in the hierarchy of Indian sports.
"You go to the East Coast of India, to Kolkata, where I played for two seasons. I think it's the second-oldest derby in world football. Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC are on either side of Kolkata. And I think it's second only to one of the Brazilian rivalries. It's insane," he shared, as quoted by ISL.
"They've had games where there were seventy to eighty thousand seats, with 160,000 or 170,000 people inside," he added.
Hume left a rich legacy in the ISL with his remarkable goal-scoring ability and contributions to his teams' successes.
His best season came with Atletico de Kolkata in 2015, where he scored 10 goals and provided four assists. He also won the ISL Cup with the Kolkata-based team in 2016.
After his time with Atletico de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters FC, Hume played for FC Pune City, which was his last professional football club.
Reflecting on his time with FC Pune City, Hume said, "It wasn't a well-supported club, but it was a very good one. Pune is a smaller, tech-focused city, and we would get six to seven thousand people at every game. But playing in Kerala and Kolkata is crazy."
"They are just football nuts. They love cricket, and I'm not going to take that away, but they are crazy about football. In Kerala, the passion was even more intense - the people were madly in love with their club and still are. Kolkata had a more historical flavour. Atletico de Kolkata was the sister club of Atletico Madrid, and we would do our pre-season in Spain. We did that for two years," he said.
Kolkata, in particular, holds a special place in Hume's heart, as he experienced significant success with Atletico de Kolkata, including winning the ISL Cup.
"They just love the game; it's phenomenal," Hume said.
In his debut ISL season with the Blasters, Hume helped the team reach the final, although they narrowly missed out on the ISL Cup.
The team, known as the Yellow Army, had a formidable squad that included Jamie McAllister, Stephen Pearson, David James, Nirmal Chettri, Mehtab Hossain, and Sandesh Jhingan.
"We ended up making it to the finals. We had a great group of guys. We bought into what was happening and fought tooth and nail for each other. That was the difference. A bunch of teams had egos around the league; we didn't. We had a group of very good, experienced Indian players and gritty foreigners," Hume said.
"We didn't have the flair from Spain, or Brazilians, or anything like that. We just had a bunch of gritty players, and we made it to the final," he added.
They defeated Chennaiyin FC in the semi-final, winning both legs and securing a convincing 3-0 victory in the first leg in Kochi.
Recalling his experience, Hume spoke with excitement about playing in front of thousands of passionate Kerala Blasters FC supporters.
"Our first semi-final was at home, and the stadium held about 69 to 70 thousand people. They said there were at least 85 to 90 thousand. I swear, they were in the rafters, up by the lights on the roof of the stadium. We're like Dortmund, so we're in yellow. It was a sea of yellow everywhere. It was absolutely crazy," he added.
"We scored within the first 8 to 10 minutes, and the place erupted. It was insane--we couldn't hear anything. Then we scored again and won 3-0. The place was bonkers," he said, as quoted by ISL.
"The supporters showed how much they love football and our team," he concluded.