India and the Hero ISL are always in my heart: Raphael Augusto

Raphael Augusto, who won two Hero Indian Super League titles with Chennaiyin FC, holds the league and the country very close to his heart. Augusto also represented Bengaluru FC in the tournament and played a total of 71 matches in the competition during his six years stint.

Augusto was instrumental in the success of Marina Machans and played a key role in taking the club to glory in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons.

The Brazilian is currently playing for Dhaka Abhahani, which will face ATK Mohun Bagan in the third preliminary round of the AFC Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.

Speaking to ISL official website, Augusto recalled his days of playing in the Hero ISL for Chennaiyin FC as he said, “It was an amazing experience for me, being a champion with all my teammates was perfect! I think I can say that both days were one of the most important days in all of my life.”

In fact, the 31-year-old had scored his maiden Hero ISL goal against ATK Mohun Bagan in Kolkata in 2015.

Recalling that goal, he said, “Yes! Of course, I remember! A day to never forget! it was in 2015, the year we were champions, it was a movie where the defenders were wrong and the ball was left for me, I was face to face with the goalkeeper.”

Meanwhile, Augusto scored the third goal for Marina Machans in the final of the Hero ISL 2017-18 season against Bengaluru FC in the 67th minute, which was decisive as they won by 3-2 in the end. The talisman reckons he played equally well in the rest of the matches.

He said, “I think people used to think that because of the goal in the final, of course, it was a very important goal, and this day is forever in my heart, but being 100% honest I believe I played even better in other games.”

Augusto revealed that he follows Hero ISL consistently and he can not live without watching the league.

He concluded, “Yes! Of course! India and the Hero ISL are always in my heart, so I cannot live without watching the league. I think I watch almost all the games, including the games of my friend Eli Sabiá, we are very close friends.”