Steven Dias: “Now I have got one more chance to prove myself.”

by Siddharth Yadav December 1, 2015

Former Indian International Steven Dias scored the winner for Mumbai FC in the Final of RCF Nadkarni Cup Football Tournament 2015-16 against mighty Air India to win his first trophy with his hometown club, Mumbai FC.

The Winger found the back of the net in the 2^nd minute of additional period of the first half to help Mumbai FC regain the trophy which they had last won in 2011.

Following the match, Steven Dias spoke about his days in Air India, upcoming season of I-League and the strength of his current club Mumbai FC in an exclusive interview with Footballcounter.

When asked how he felt scoring against his Ex Club Air India, Steven said: “Of course it felt good, I played two years for Air India (2001-2003) where I started my career under Bimal Ghosh. It’s always like I know all these players and they know how I play so it’s not easy to score against a strong team like Air India.”

“Although scoring in the Final and winning it 1-0 on top of that, it felt amazing.” Steven further added.

Steven Dias, who had played in Indian Super League (ISL) for Delhi Dynamos last season was surprised to see his name not picked by any of the franchise in this year ISL draft. That’s when Mumbai FC came calling and it seems Steven has taken each advantage of it.

“Mumbai FC is very important to me as I was not chosen in ISL (Indian Super League) drafts so I always wanted to join a team where I can come back and show what I am capable of.”

It is not even three months since Steven Dias joined Mumbai FC and he has already bagged a trophy with his new club.

“Mumbai FC gave me the opportunity and now I have got one more chance to prove myself. It is very important for me to concentrate and as it is our first trophy of the season we need to improve further so that we can be prepared for the upcoming I-League campaign.”

Speaking about Mumbai FC’s strength, Steve added: “We have a very good team, or one can say a very balanced team. If you see our bench strength, it is fantastic.”

He further added, “Whichever team has a good bench strength they are very strong.”

Steven Dias expressed his take on the ongoing Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) Elite Division.

“Elite Division has good teams. We have played Union Bank of India (UBI), Karnataka Sports Association (KSA), these teams are amazing and if we win by big margins in Elite division then we have a good chance to perform better in I-League.”

Mumbai FC are currently having a perfect start in Elite Division where they are yet to draw or lose any game.