Spaniard Gavilan feels at home in Chennai

“If you rope in a certain number of players from a particular nation who are of high calibre, you give yourselves more chance of winning the championship. We have seen ATK do it twice while FC Goa also has a strong Spanish contingent this season,” said Gavlan in an English accent richly influenced by Spanish. 

A lot of players from the ‘La Furia Roja’ have been part of the Indian Super League in the last three years. “It is always nice to play along with footballers whose gameplay you are aware of. 

When I was with ATK, I was surrounded by a lot of guys from my homeland. We had Javi Lara, Tiri, Borja, etc., in our squad,” added Gavilan, who shares a good rapport with fellow Spaniards. 

Asked if having prior experience in ISL as an overseas player is of advantage, the 32-year-old said, “We know how the league works and the kind of intensity with which the games are played because of having been here before. But a lot of changes are made by every team during successive editions. It is back to square one for all of us ahead of the season.” 

Commenting on how he joined the Chennai-based franchise, the former ATK man added, “I received a call from a member of the management. Then I got to know about the arrival of Caldi (Inigo Calderon). I spoke to him and later decided to join CFC.” 

Gavilan, who once rubbed shoulders with David Silva in Valencia, revealed his proximity with the Manchester City maestro. “David Silva is a very good friend of mine. I played with him for 12 years until we broke into the senior team. Maybe when the ISL season comes to a close, I might visit him at Manchester. He is someone who I share a very good relationship in the footballing circuit,” asserted the midfielder. 

Gavilan twice locked horns with his former Getafe FC teammate Rafael Lopez in this edition of ISL. But he appears to be looking forward to facing his counterpart once again. “Rafa is a very good defender. He was my successor in terms of captaincy at Getafe. He has had a very good season with Pune. I hope we clash against each other in the final,” he remarked.  

The Valencia-born player seems to be enjoying his off days at the ‘Gateway of South India’, spending his time going around the city. “I am having a really good stay here. People of Chennai are very welcoming. We have also had opportunities to visit a few tourist spots, shopping malls, theatre, etc.,” signed off Gavilan.