2015 ISL: In his second season for Chennaiyin FC, Mendoza Valencia is one to watch

While the Indian Super League 2015 auction and draft saw some big names join new clubs — foreign signings were being revealed until as recently as Wednesday — Chennaiyin FC quietly completely what could be the biggest swoop of the season: Retaining the services of Colombian attacker John Stiven Mendoza Valencia.

Mendoza’s injury halted his phenomenal run last year, which saw him score four goals and create havoc in opposition defences. It’s safe to say that had he stayed fit, Chennaiyin would have gone one step further, and into the final of the inaugural season.

What’s special about this move is that Mendoza is the only foreigner whose stock rose after his stint in the ISL. It’s usually the other way around, but after his show in India, the 23-year-old bagged a move to two-time Club World Cup winners Corinthians.

“The stint with Chennaiyin FC last year in the ISL certainly helped me getting noticed even more and eventually I moved to Corinthians,” Mendoza told Firstpost.

Before Chennaiyin, Mendoza was on loan at Deportivo Cali, America de Cali and Cucuta Deportivo, from parent club Envigado. He scored 16 goals in 81 appearances, but three loans in quick succession doesn’t look great on a player’s CV. Just ask Federico Macheda — the Manchester United youngster who scored a wonder goal against Aston Villa in 2009 but never settled down.

However, in his first season at Corinthians, he scored five and created two goals in 25 appearances, and was a regular down the team’s left flank. In doing so, Mendoza helped the team reach the semifinals of the Sao Paulo state championship. Which begs the question of why he decided to move to India for a short-term deal even as the season in Brazil was in full-swing.

“I wanted to play for [Chennaiyin manager> Marco Materazzi again so, didn’t want to miss out on the chance. Once I go back I will aim to play regularly at Corinthians,” he said.

Materazzi appreciated the magnitude of getting an important player to India from Brazil when Mendoza’s retention was announced: “We had been working very hard for our foreign signings and always knew that it would be difficult to find a player of Mendoza’s calibre. I am thankful to Corinthians for the agreement. Mendoza was one of our best players last year but he is still only 23 and so, there is plenty of room for improvement and I have full faith in him to make a big difference for us this time also.”

Like most South American football players, Mendoza took to the sport at a very young age — seven — and on the streets of Palmira. He still plays with a lot of expression on the pitch: he is direct, will pull off tricks and go for the audacious (he flicked the ball over Subrata Pal against Mumbai City FC last season).

But this is something he is trying to mix up with tactical awareness: “I am certainly a more natural footballer but these days you have to follow tactics and specific strategy too because your opponents are also watching you. You always have to be ready.”

Mendoza’s movements from left towards the centre reflect the world’s best attackers and the trend of the inverted winger or inside forward. He himself says that he likes interchanging with other players on the pitch and this will allow Materazzi a lot of flexibility in terms of his forward line. The team has also retained last year’s top-scorer Elano and roped in Fikru Teferra from Atletico de Kolkata.

This year, Mendoza will come at the back of a season under scrutiny and that will certainly help his mentality.

“I have learnt to deal with pressure even more because at Corinthians you are under scrutiny on a daily basis. Hope I can perform even better this time,” he said.

The Colombian loves to spend time on his PlayStation after dealing with this pressure. He is rated at an overall of 66 on FIFA 16 with a potential of 75. But just like goalkeepers, statistics don’t faze him.

“I don’t get bothered by those numbers,” he said.

The writer tweets @TheFalseNo9