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Few local leagues in the country are run as professionally as the Goa Pro League.
With former Indian internationals putting on football boots for one last run in professional football and foreign players looking at the league as an opportunity to attract interest from the I-League and Indian Super League clubs, it exudes a certain charm not many local leagues do.
The fact that giants Salgaocar FC, Dempo SC and Sporting Clube de Goa play in it after pulling out of the I-League citing step-motherly treatment definitely helps. As does FC Goa having their second-string, coached by Clifford Miranda, take part in it.
With table-toppers Dempo boasting a goal difference of 40, bottom club Bardez FC conceding 49 more than they have scored and unbeaten Churchill Brothers FC sitting fourth (as of gameweek 21), there’s no dearth of excitement.
The league has seen numerous players put on great displays this season and here are three among them who should be in the top divisions next season.
The writer has snubbed Goan FC (FC Goa's developmental side) players as most of them are already deemed I-League or Indian Super League-worthy already.
#3 Uttam Rai
Midway through the I-League season, Churchill Brothers FC were hit by an injury crisis.
With Israil Gurung, Wayne Vaz, Dawda Ceesay and Khalid Aucho all spending some time on the sidelines, it seemed Uttam Rai would finally get a chance to shine in the I-League. Coach Petre Gigiu, though, chose to snub him.
However, he was nothing short of outstanding for the club’s Goa Pro League side.
Scoring braces against Salgaocar FC and Bardez FC, he has positioned himself among the top-scorers in the division.
After seeing his progress dwindled by injuries early on his career, the Sikkim-born starlet now understands how to manage his fitness better and does extra hours in the gym to ensure injuries don’t hurt his chances of reaching the heights he was initially touted to do.
Having already donned the Mohun Bagan AC, Minerva Punjab FC and Chennaiyin FC shirts, he’ll effortlessly fit in at any top-division club. If he remains consistent and injury-free, the 22-year-old will revive his career probably at a top-flight club.
#2 Ronaldo Oliveria-Devendra Murgaonkar
NorthEast United FC signed former NK Inter Zaprešić defenders Mato Grgic and Mislav Komarski. FC Goa have four players who have previously played together.
Going by the same idea, top-flight clubs, especially those on a shoestring budget must consider signing FC Salgaocar’s strike partners Ronaldo Oliveira and Devendra Murgaonkar.
Although they’re younger than most centre-backs they go up against, they have excelled at breaking down defensive lines with their incisive through balls and overlapping runs. The latter, in particular, is in the running for the top goal-scorer award.
They already have top-level experience having already made Goa’s Santosh Trophy side earlier this year and played against some of the best the football-crazy state has to offer.
Salgaocar coach Anthony Pereira earlier this season said the club would encourage players to move in search of better opportunities.
The duo must be keen on following in the footsteps of club product Liston Colaco, who moved to FC Goa for ₹15 lakh April 2017, to a top-flight club.
#1 Jaison Vaz
Dempo SC, alongside Goan FC and Salgaocar FC, boasts some of the best-attacking units in the Goa Pro League this season.
While veterans Joaquim Abranches and Beevan D’Mello have been impressive, only one striker will have had the top-flight clubs noting his name down on prospective transfers list.
Jaison Vaz, the youngest among the three top-scorers at Dempo, has hit double figures and is one of the few players to do so this season.
He, who has often represented Goa in the Santosh Trophy, has found top-flight chances rare, however.
This season, though, he has been quite impressive for Dempo and is one of the key reasons why they find themselves challenging for the Goa Pro League title this season.
While the chances of his securing a move to the bigger clubs are slim, he can be a solid second-choice striker at a club like Churchill Brothers FC or one of the bottom-half clubs in the I-League or whatever its equivalent is next season.
