Hamil has singled out the experience of playing in the final league match of the ISL in front of sixty-thousands packed Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan and celebrating on of the most unforgettable moments of his life with his teammates and Supporters after winning the League Shield against the heavyweight Mumbai City FC. By watching the mesmerized atmosphere of the crowd, the Aussie Center Back remarked “Unbelievable madness! It is truly amazing! I never forgot such goosebumps in a lifetime”.
Seeing that the number of footballers coming from Australia to play in the Indian Super League is increasing. The question may arise in the fans mind, why do the footballers of that country choose India’s top-graded league so much? Are they migrating to India in droves just to earn a lump sum money?
The former Green and Maroon Australian Center Back returned home and gave an interview to the ‘A’ League website and he praised the best football league in India. Knowing about Hamil’s experience, many footballers from that country would have become highly motivated to come to the biggest football fest of India. After sharing a dressing room with Mohun Bagan Super Giant, he has been serving the Melbourne Victory. The stats say, he played 34 matches in the last two ISL seasons. Significantly, he found himself fortunate to encode his name with Durand Cup and ISL Shield championed boys, a goal and an assist also with him. He came to associate with Bagan’s squad in 2022 after achieving the Australian Cup for Melbourne Victory.
While recalling his MBSG moments, Hamil heaps huge praise on Indian spectators.
“The culture, the way of life, the footballing infrastructure, the mentality of the footballers, the business everything is unique”. Their culture is very different from ours. They cannot be realized unless experienced there. Adapting to the footballing passion of the fans was a wonderful experience there. I stayed there with my family for two years. Even in the airport, I was greatly surprised by the way everyone greeted us. They took care of everything about me”.
Mohun Bagan had won the ISL Cup in the first year after he started managing his previous game form and the Shield in the subsequent year. Such an infatuating playing genre made him a ‘lucky mascot’ for the Mariners’. Acknowledging that this success is also a bright chapter in his football career, Hamil elucidated, “It was a marvelous deal for me to go to a country with a complete culture and succeed on the ground. They are the biggest club in India. Uncountable passionate fans desperately used to vitalize my mind before entering into the field. I think they have had the record average attendance in East Asian Last Season, around 30,000 per match. In every game of ours, the enchanted fans flock to the gallery. I was enclosed by the supporters, while I used to go out on the streets of Calcutta. Even when you go to India, the number of followers on Social Media rapidly increases by leaps and bounds. They know how to love the professionals. It can be felt when you get off at the airport. Even in the away matches, Green and Maroon fans flock in droves and give gifts to their favorite players. Fans proudly showcase their loyalty by wearing printed t-shirts with the club’s colors and logos, further strengthening their connection to the team."
Their tifos are of a very high standard, once they shaped me in the image of Australian actor Chris Hermsworth of the famous Bollywood movie ‘Thor’ and hung it in the gallery”. Brendan Hamil also reminisced
“I did a Thor Hemsworth hammer style celebration after scoring a goal. Therefore, I saw a picture of me dressed up as Hemsworth, along with the tifo was flooded with social media posts. Their insanity was very much evident in tifo. Absolutely insane, hats off them”.
