Delhi Dynamos' defensive midfielder Marcos Tebar, who is a product of the Real Madrid academy, says standard of Indian Super League is only getting better with the influx of foreign players.
The 30-year-old was signed by Dynamos after a short stint with Spanish Club, UE Llagostera.
Asked what prompted him to come to India, Tebar said, "I see India as a new avenue to expand my playing experience in different countries. And with the influx of foreign players into the league the standards are just getting better each passing day. One of the main reasons for me to join DDFC was their previous season's performance, which ended on a sad note when the team finished just a whisker away from glory."
Marcos started his career as a Real Madrid CF player, appeared 94 times for the B-Team and made one appearance for the senior team against CA Osasuna.
When asked what he wants to achieve out of his stint in India, Tebar said, "As a player wherever I have been, my aim and target always has been to develop more as a player, learn new footballing culture and contribute as much as I can towards the team's success. And talking about my aim in India, it is of course to perform to the best of my abilities and take the team as far as possible in the league."
The Spaniard was loaned by Real Madrid to Rayo Vallecano and Girona FC, both play in the Segunda Division. In the last couple of years he has played for Segunda Division club UD Almeria and English Championship side Brentford.
Talking about Dynamos' pre-season in UK and Sweden, he said, "I think it's been great. And our results in the friendly matches speak a lot about it. We played against WBA and BC Hacken which are top class teams, though we lost out to WBA at the Hawthorns by a small margin, we put up a gallant effort against BC Hacken and the rest of the teams we played against.
"The team has really been training hard on the pitch. And off the pitch, we have been undergoing good fitness and gym session, which is helping the players stay in shape. We have been training really hard and we need to if we want to achieve our goal of winning the league.
"It was very important to see how the team performs as a unit, and as a player it is very encouraging to see how we have assimilated into a strong and cohesive unit. There are players from all across the world including the Indians, and it was very important that we understand each other well. Despite the language barrier, we have adapted to each other well. We have tried to translate coach's philosophy onto the pitch and the entire team is happy that we have been able to do that quite effectively.
Tebar said he had been looking forward to working with
Italy's World Cup winning player Gianluca Zambrotta, who is Dynamos' coach.
"It has been a very good experience with the team so far. It is a very professional set-up and training under the legendary Gianluca Zambrotta has been great. Also I have been getting to meet new players, learn new things and new culture, which has really been great. Most of my time with the team was spent in pre-season, and now we are India I am looking forward to exploring Indian cultures and learn more about the country."
Asked about his expectations from the team in season 3 of ISL, Tebar said, "I expect the season to be a very competitive one. Like how we have been practicing and training hard, other teams are doing the same. All the teams will get into the season and will expect to begin with a bang. So it is going to be a very exciting three months.
"We have prepared well, performed pretty well in the pre-season friendlies, and if we can maintain the same level of intensity and form throughout the entire season, then I believe we will be the team to watch out for in the season.
