The scar on his head is the first thing you notice about Iain Hume, but the star forward for Kerala Blasters FC in the first season of ISL and now an ATK star catch, says he “can’t see” it. “I am a winner. I want to be as good as the best, if not better.... ,” the 31-year-old Scottish-Canadian told t2 when we met him in Spain during ATK’s warm-up sessions for ISL.
What are you looking forward to the most in Calcutta?
Just the atmosphere. I think the biggest draw for me is to speak to my teammates who have played there before and they say that the fans are crazy. After witnessing Kerala fans last season who were very emotional towards football, I hear the only other place in India which is on a par is Calcutta. I think UK is similar to here, a lot more personal, you get to know the fans as you are playing in front of them every week. As far as atmosphere goes, the closest I have been to this is central America like Honduras, Costa Rica. They are very passionate fans. But last year was a completely different level from what I had ever witnessed… I understand that fans here are crazy about cricket, but having not heard about India and football and their love for the game… I didn’t expect it. But now I expect nothing less.
What were you expecting when you signed up for ISL?
When I first joined Kerala, I didn’t know what I was getting into, but then speaking to players who play for East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, you start to understand their love for the game. It’s because of India’s low ranking in FIFA… but people were hoping that this sleeping giant of Indian football would wake up… 1.3 billion people! Football is the biggest sport in the world…. but having witnessed the love for the game here, it’s up their with the best atmospheres and the craziest fans I have ever met.
ISL was an adventure, an opportunity I didn’t want to say ‘no’ to because I have played in the UK for 15-16 years. I was coming out blind… I knew vaguely about the culture... It was something I was so eager to experience. And, it’s possibly one of the best decisions I have ever made.... just a perfect four months. It’s the most I have enjoyed my football in a very, very long time. That is why it made it so easy for me to say that, ‘Yeah, I am coming back’.
What would you pick as the highlights of your career?
There are good and bad highlights. To be able to play professional football for 16 years… that’s the highlight. It’s to do what I love doing, getting paid to do what I love doing…very fortunate… I never take it for granted. I have been dragged through the mud with an injury that I had eight years ago, and now to be back playing after that... I work hard... I will be 32 in a month. So, I am not exactly getting younger. But I don’t want to stop doing what I love.
The scar from that injury is there…
Oh yes, but I don’t see it. My wife (Christine) says the same thing. She doesn’t see it. It’s always going to be there, but the way I look at it is, it’s a part of my history. What matters is that I have come out on the other side and I have excelled. To be able to come out to India last season and do so well, it’s proved a point to myself that I am not done yet. I have a long way to go and I am enjoying it.... My dad always said you only get what you put in and I am still not ready to give up. That’s me.
Pick a team of greats you’d like to be a part of…
That’s a long list. I know I am past that now, but I have always wanted to play for Liverpool of the ’80s, ’70s… that’s the pinnacle for me for they were winning everything back then. I was fortunate enough to meet Ian Rush last season. I have been fortunate enough to grow up and watch football in the times of (Zinedine) Zidane, Ronaldo, Ronaldinhos, (Lionel) Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler… to watch them and wish one day I could something similar. Okay, I have not played at the same level as any of them, but touch wood, I have played longer than them. Everyone has regrets for little things in their lives, but that’s why you write your book. What is a story without ups and downs?
Who is your current favourite?
I love Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi? For me, there is no question. I am a Liverpool fan, so I idolise Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard, but Messi is the greatest player to have ever played the game. You look back over the years… Diego Maradona, Pele… the athleticism of football now… you put the athletes of today with the footballers of the years gone by and they wouldn’t compete. You put Pele in football now and Pele is Pele, the god of football… but you put Pele against Sergio Ramos... I am sorry, he’ll be overrun… you put Messi against them.... He is a magician.
Ronaldo is a specimen. He is your premium athlete. Ronaldo will beat you running. Messi will beat you standing still. In three-four-five years, Messi-Ronaldo will retire and football will go back to normality because the standards and records they have set over the last five-six years, is a joke. Yes, they haven’t won the World Cup, but that’s in an era of Spain, Germany at their best.... And now Neymar is coming through… he is 23 and has scored nearly 50 goals in almost 70 games for Brazil! If he plays till he is 35… who knows… 250 caps, 150-200 goals… that’s the beauty of football.
Do you agree with Hume that Messi is the greatest player to have ever played the game? Tell t2@abp.in
