"Des Buckingham said he was going to make me one of the best players in India" - Lallianzuala Chhangte on former Mumbai City coach's influence

Mumbai City FC's Lallianzuala Chhangte is one of the biggest names in Indian football right now. Starting his career as one of the exciting prospects to watch out for, Chhangte shot into the limelight as an 18-year-old youngster during the SAFF Championship in 2015.

So far, he has gone on to represent DSK Shivajians FC, NorthEast United FC, Delhi Dynamos FC, and Chennaiyin FC apart from his current stint with Mumbai City FC.

Although his initial six-month loan period with Mumbai during the 2021-22 season did not turn out as expected, the following season will remain memorable for both Chhangte and the club.

Opening up about the former Mumbai City FC head coach Des Buckingham's big role in his career, on the Indian Super League’s ‘In The Stands’ show, the 26-year-old said:

"Coach Des and I had a chat and he told me that he was going to make me one of the best players in India. He said he believed in me, in my abilities, so, he told me that he knows what I can do and, as a player, you don’t need to think twice.

"I joined Mumbai City FC knowing that and he was on [true to] his word. We put the words into action after that. It was all about training, extra training, whether it’s shooting, crossing, analyzing my game and training sessions every week."

Double delight for Lallianzuala Chhangte, the AIFF's 2022-23 Player of the Year

While Mumbai City FC won their second ISL League Shield last season, the AIFF's 2022-23 Player of the Year impressed everyone with his ISL Golden Ball-winning performance. He netted 10 goals in addition to his six assists, thereby ending season nine as the top Indian goal scorer.

Having represented Chennaiyin FC for three editions in the ISL, the Mizoram-based winger became a crowd favorite at the Marina Arena.

Chhangte scored seven goals during Chennaiyin's runner-up spot-winning campaign during the 2019-20 ISL. He thus finished the season as the second-highest Indian goal scorer, only behind Sunil Chhetri.

Sharing his thoughts about working under Chennaiyin FC's head coach Owen Coyle, he stated:

"The best thing about him is he recognizes who works hard in the training pitch. He doesn’t judge players by their abilities, or talents, but he judges by the way they give their best on the pitch. That’s what he saw in me.

"I was not the most talented, but he saw that I wanted to give everything. He respected that, he trusted the players, he wanted them to explore themselves, enjoy themselves, and that’s the best thing for any player."

Given his talent, speed, and agility, Lallianzuala Chhangte has unsurprisingly reached this level of success in Indian football. He can certainly claim several more accolades since the striker has several years of football left in his career.