17-year-old Indian footballer to play for Spanish club Almeria

“Getting a call from Almeria remains one of my most cherished moments until now,” Ishan was quoted as saying by Times of India.

“As part of their U-18 squad, I live and train with the team and play friendlies with other youth teams. If everything goes to plan, I expect to sign a contract in May next year, which will enable me to play the club's official league games.“

Agustin Sanchez, academy manager of Almeria, confirmed that Ishan will be the first Indian player to join the club and praised the young striker's ability to adapt to Spanish football.

“It's for the first time we have accepted an Indian player into our club. At first, we had our doubts; so we asked others for their opinion about Ishan before accepting him. We liked he has adapted well to Spanish football,” Sanchez told TOI.

Ishan, who started playing football at the age of six and moved from Philippines to Bengaluru in 2009, stated the difference in the standard of training he has received in both the nations. He said, “At Almeria, it's a completely different ball game, compared with Indian standards. The technical abilities of players are a lot better and the Spanish coaches are very knowledgeable. Each training session has a complete set of coaching staff, including doctors and a physio“.

Ishan has studied at International School Bangalore, where he became the school football team's captain. He played in the A and C divisions of Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA), before catching the attention of Swedish club IF Brommapojkarna at the famous Gothia Cup, who invited him for trials.

Eventually, Ishan made his way to the Intersoccer Madrid football academy in Spain, which gave him the opportunity to join Alcobendas CF.

Despite agreeing to join Almeria, who were relegated from the La Liga last season, Ishan can not sign an official contract with the club till May, 2016 as Fifa's minors protection law prevents the transfer of non-European players before they are 18 years old.