With A Week Of Pre-Season Done, New Blue Antonio Dovale Sat Down For A Quick Chat To Talk About All Things BFC

Lean but lethal is the simplest way to break down the Blues’ newest signing. Antonio ‘Toni’ Dovale, likes to hit the ball clean, loves pulling a trick or two while taking on defences and watching him train, it’s safe to say his instincts anywhere around goal are deadly. At 27-years of age, Toni is the youngest foreign player in the squad this season and he is relishing the newest challenge in his career.

While a jet lag bothered him initially, he’s now settled in and excited to be back on to the field getting ready for the tough season ahead. “Honestly, I feel very good now. Initially it was a bit tough to adapt because of the long trip. Then it was about trying to catch some sleep in the new apartment; it’s a new life and a big change, you know.  But the people here at the club are very friendly, they helped me a lot and I have managed to settle in now. I like the city and I have adapted to it,” expressed Toni as we sat down with him for a quick chat.

The Blues have completed a week of pre-season now and team is taking shape. Giving his thoughts about the sessions so far, Toni sounded positive and explained, “We’ve been training for a week now and we’re slowly getting to know each other. For me personally, it’s going to be an exciting season and I can’t wait to start playing games. We are focussed on our objectives for the season, and I’m highly motivated and happy to be here. I just want to keep training and improving my physical condition which will help me give a good performance.”

Impressed with the squad and the staff at the club, Toni has just one thing on his mind – to give his best. “We have a really nice group of Indian players in our squad. They are great professionals, but everyone knows they have to work hard and give their best performance at every moment. In the coming days, we’ll grow together and strong as a group. This is my first season with Bengaluru and I have really big ambitions. Our staff is working hard continuously, both on and off the pitch. With the training sessions, the video analysis, explaining very well to us what they expect from us. I think we are creating a very beautiful story here at Bengaluru and there will be some good moments.”

An interesting fact is that Toni and the Blues’ Head Coach Albert Roca did share a club at one point of time in their respective careers, and it doesn’t get any bigger than at Barcelona. Although part of two separate units at the Catalonia-based club, the duo shares a similar philosophy when it comes to the beautiful game. “I didn’t know Albert Roca personally before coming here, but he is a big personality back home in Spain and everyone knows about him and his work. While I was coming through the ranks at FC Barcelona, he was coaching the first team. Albert works very hard and his idea of football is really great as he wants to control every aspect of the game. It’s great for me because I have a similar ideology as him and helps me while implementing it on the field.”

With countrymen Dimas and Juanan always around, Toni has eased comfortably into his first stint in Asia. “Having spent a lot of time together with Dimas and Juanan since coming here, I’ve got comfortable with them. In fact, I played for a season alongside Juanan while at Leganes so we already share a rapport. He’s a great lad and even Dimas was one of my opponents in Spain, but now it’s good to have him on my side. It’s good that our relationship off the field is nice, because if you know your mates better off the pitch, it translates into better communication on it, which then helps the team. I think we’ll achieve some good things this season with Bengaluru. It’s a really nice community here, and some really passionate fans and we want to give back the love that they shower on us,” he says.

As the Blues head to Spain this weekend for a training camp, Toni is also looking forward to catching up with something that he jokes is equally important. “Pinatar Arena is a top-class facility in Murcia, and we’ll undoubtedly have a great time training as the infrastructure is just amazing. Also, we’ll have some nice lunch while over there (laughs). You know I’m a Spanish person and just miss my local cuisine every now and then! But yeah, it will be a great experience,” he shares with a smile!