Internet Desk : Bengaluru boy Ishan Pandita has become the first Indian footballer to sign a professional contract with a club in La Liga, the premier league of Spanish football.
The 18-year-old Ishan on Monday joined the newly-promoted CD Leganes, which is at the 11th place in the Liga table. Pandita will first play for the club’s U-19 side, which is currently playing in the Division de Honor Juvenil, the top level of the Spanish system for youth players. “It’s a great feeling; it’s a big moment for me,” he told from Spain. “But there’s a long way to go.”
Pandita, a striker, has signed a one-year contract with the club. “My first goal is to get some game-time and score a few goals. If I can progress from the youth team and debut for the first team before the end of the season, that will be great,” he said.
Pandita spent his childhood in the Philippines before moving to Bengaluru in 2009. He shifted base to Spain two years ago, and was part of UD Almeria’s youth system. “I had trials at Getafe (currently in the second division) in March, and I was very close to signing with them. But they got relegated at the end of the season. The whole point for me was to sign for a La Liga club and then Leganes showed interest,” he said.
His game had improved a lot since his move to Spain, Pandita felt. “I’ve been training with the best coaches and players. It has impacted me heavily. The standard of play is miles better than what I was exposed to back home.”
The 2016-17 season of the Division de Honor Juvenil has already begun. “It’s a highly competitive league, with all the top clubs like Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid involved,” Pandita said. “I’m going to work really hard.”