Chennaiyin FC landed in India in the wee hours of Monday. They received a heart-warming welcome from the fans who were ready to chant their names in a similar fashion that they did during the first season of the Indian Super League (ISL) in 2014.
The ISL 2015 is in the horizon and the Chennaiyin FC players were training hard and sweating it out on the field in Perugia, Italy for a month. They will resume with their final pre-season training ahead of the ISL 2015 after three days of rest from Tuesday.
They were one of the invincible teams during the ISL 2014 and a feared one too. They were a special force with reckoning under the able guidance of former Italian international defender Marco Materazzi. Unfortunately, Kerala Blasters got the better off Chennaiyin FC in the semi-final of the first season of the ISL. Or else they could have gone all the way with the kind of players they have.
Materazzi and his men in blue would want to leave the past behind and start things afresh this season. They seemed to understand each other's game during the pre-season camp in Italy and are all set to roar in the field yet again.
Elano Blumer, a name that none of the Chenniayin FC fans have forgotten, was delighted to get back to India and be a part of the Chennai-based Abhishek Bachchan and MS Dhoni co-owned franchise.
"I have no words to describe how I feel. This is incredible. We can only thank the fans by performing well on the pitch. I can't wait to play in front of all of them at the Marina Arena," Elano told reporters at the Chennai airport on Monday.
Fikru Teferra, who already won the ISL once with the defending champions, will be featuring in the Chennaiyin FC side and is equally excited. He had said earlier that he wants to win the ISL again, but this time with Chennaiyin FC.
"The fans were absolutely fantastic. I am a new player but they treated me as if I have been playing for them for years. I am grateful for their support and really excited to score many goals for them," Firku told the media on Monday.
