Eyes on Marcelinho as I-League begins
Kolkata, Dec. 25: All eyes would be on Brazilian star Marcelinho Leite Pereira when a spirited Rajasthan United FC make their ILeague debut against RoundGlass Punjab FC in the opening day’s fixture at the Kalyani Stadium here on Sunday. The 34-year-old, who had taken the Indian Super League by storm winning the Golden Boot in his maiden season in
2016, is one of the biggest attractions this I-League season.
Having started off with the Delhi Dynamos, the attacking midfielder enjoyed spells at FC Pune City, Hyderabad FC, Odisha FC and ATK Mohun Bagan, making 79 appearances and scoring
33 goals.
The forward scored 10 goals en route to winning the Golden Boot in his maiden season and with 18 assists, he is also at third place currently in the alltime ISL charts.
Now he will look to raise the bar for RUFC who is the first team from Rajasthan to qualify for the I-League.
“It’s a new team, and I want to set an example for the young players. At the same time, I want to enjoy my football with the team, and let all enjoy it too,” the Brazilian said.
About his target, he said: “To be at the top. The target is always to be champions. Nothing else matters.”
They also have the likes of I-League winner Komron Turunov, Diego Bielkiewicz, Akeem Abioye and Fabiano Alves in their foreigners’ lineup.
The Ashley Westwoodcoached Punjab FC, on the other hand, have the likes of English defender Josef Yarney, Spanish midfielder Joseba Beitia, English striker Kurtis Guthrie and Australian forward Travis Major.