Desai looking forward to Season II

The speedy left winger was one of the key attacking elements for the Goan side and immensely impressed former France World Cupper, Robert Pires, with his style.

Published : Oct 01, 2015 19:42 IST

Mandar Rao Desai (centre) had a stellar seaon with Fc Goa last time.

Mandar Rao Desai was a revelation playing for FC Goa in the inaugural edition of the ISL.The speedy left winger was one of the key attacking elements for the Goan side and immensely impressed former France World Cupper, Robert Pires, with his style. “It is not easy to play on the flanks. I know, because I’ve played on the left for a very long time. With young Mandar, Goa and Dempo have a bright future,” Pires told the ISL website.

Mandar, who played for Dempo in last season’s I-League, has fond memories of ISL Season I. “It’s good for me to play with some big players. We had a good season last year,” he says. “There was a great response from the crowd and the fans believed in us. We learned a lot from players like Andre Santos and Robert Pires last season.” Looking forward to the coming season, he says: “This year also we have a lot of new faces like Lucio, Leo Moura, Reinaldo. We will learn from them too and I thank Zico for believing in me and selecting me for this season.”