Kolkata : Mohun Bagan’s new Brazilian recruit Luciano Sabrosa arrived in Kolkata today . He was accompanied by his wife and daughter Ignatius . The Brazilian visibly looked tired after the long 14 hours flight from Sao Paolo . He will go to the club tomorrow after enjoying a much needed rest today .Sabrosa was roped in by the I League champions after Haiti defender Judelin Aveska failed to impress Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen .
Luciano has earlier played for Mohammedan Sporting of Kolkata in 2013 edition of I League . This will be his seventh Indian club including ISL franchise FC Goa . He has earlier played for Indian clubs like Vasco SC (2007), Sporting Clube de Goa (2008), Salgaocar FC (2009 to 2012), Mohammedan Sporting (2013), Pune FC (2014) and FC Goa (2015). The Brazilian was part of the Salgaocar FC squad that won the I League .in 2010 season .
Luciano looked quite exited about playing for the I League champions “ I am extremely happy to have signed for Mohun Bagan . They are a good side and are also the defending champions . I know there will be huge expectation but I will try to give my best .”
The Brazilian was given the news of the defending champions making a great start to the season with a 3-1 win over Aizwal FC . But coach Sanjoy Sen expressed his concerns with the defence . On being asked whether he can lend a solidity to the defence , Luciano was smart enough to reply “ I will try my best . I hope we can overcome the shortcomings in defence .”
It will not be a new experience for the tall Brazilian playing in Kolkata , as he have earlier played for Md. Sporting Club during the 2013 season . But the pressure of playing in a club like Mohun Bagan will be immense . “ It’s true , there wasn’t much pressure in Md. Sporting compared to what I will be experiencing in Mohun Bagan . I know there will be huge expectation and pressure from the fans here as they want their favourite club to do well . As a professional footballer I am used to handling pressure . For any professional footballer performance is the key .”
Regarding his target for the season, Luciano said, “It will definitely be a challenge for us to try and defend the I-League title. I have earlier won the I-League while in Salgaocar and will give my best to try and help Mohun Bagan win the title once again this season. The key for us will be to keep the winning momentum .”
An untoward incident happened after the ISL final involving compatriot Elano Blumer . But Luciano felt it wise to not comment on the issue as he whisked off for his new address in Kolkata .