ISL 2020-21: Top 5 European clubs to partner with ISL clubs

European clubs have been showing a lot of interest in the Indian football market recently. With a population of 1.3 billion people, opportunities are plenty to market their product and services and some ISL clubs have formed partnerships with their European counterparts.

I-League clubs haven't been left behind either. Swiss giants FC Basel bought a 26% stake in Chennai City FC in 2019, with the latter looking to give up more equity to bring in more partners. Minerva Punjab also had a partnership with Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach, however, the tenure of this arrangement was short-lived.

A partnership between a European and an ISL club is a win-win situation as the latter can make full use of the technical expertise of the former, while the former gets a share in the market of a growing economy.

On that note, here are 5 European clubs that have partnerships with ISL clubs.

#5 Hyderabad FC - Marbella FC

Hyderabad FC inked a deal with Spanish third-tier club Marbella FC just before the start of the 2020-21 season of the ISL. As part of the three-year strategic tie-up, young players in the first team and reserve team players in Hyderabad FC will get an opportunity to practice using Marbella's facilities once travel restrictions around the world are eased.

“This alliance with Hyderabad FC is a source of pride for Marbella FC. It will allow us to be in contact with one of the most important clubs from an emerging football market,” Marbella FC general manager Héctor Morales was quoted as saying after signing the deal with the ISL side.

#4 FC Goa - RB Leipzig

Rumors were rife that ISL side FC Goa would partner with RB Leipzig after reserve team head coach Clifford Miranda used the facilities of the latter to get his AFC 'Pro' Diploma coaching license. Formed only in 2009, Leipzig is one of the fastest-growing clubs in Europe. They reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in the 2019-20 season.

Like Hyderabad FC, the ISL side will be able to use the Bundesliga club's facilities while Leipzig will gain an entry into a market outside Germany.

“The discussions with those responsible at FC Goa were very open, convincing, and effective from the start. The emerging Indian market is, therefore, an absolutely suitable starting point for our future endeavors," said RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff on the deal between the two sides.

#3 Bengaluru FC - Rangers FC

Bengaluru FC announced a two-year collaboration with Rangers FC in 2019. This helped Bala Devi sign an 18-month contract with the latter's women's club which plays in UEFA Women's Champions League.

Players from Bengaluru FC's Soccer Schools were supposed to visit Scotland and make use of Rangers' facilities this season, but due to travel restrictions, this couldn't take place.

"We are excited about the development of our academy, Soccer Schools and grassroots programmes will be exposed to in the coming years. There is also the prospect of our first team visiting and playing a game at the Ibrox, which is something we are looking forward to," said Bengaluru FC CEO Mandar Tamhane on the eve of partnership.

#2 Hyderabad FC - Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund have previously had partnerships with clubs in Thailand (Buriram United), Australia (Marconi FC), and Japan (Iwate Grulla Morioka). The German side made an entry into the Indian market after signing a two-year deal with ISL club Hyderabad FC.

The partnership between the two clubs is supposed to help Hyderabad FC with the technical aspects of their grassroots activities.

"We agreed to this deal for mutual benefits. We are here to build a strong youth setup, and our fan success is renowned to the globe as well. Many exciting activities have been planned and will be performed after the COVID-19 pandemic is over," Hyderabad FC CEO Varun Tripuraneni was quoted as saying after signing the deal.

#1 City Football Group - Mumbai City FC

Unlike other ISL clubs which have made deals with European clubs which are set to expire after a set period, the City Football Group has 65% ownership stakes in Mumbai City FC.

Manchester City and Girona are the two European clubs under the umbrella of the City Football Group. As a result, Mumbai City FC became heavy spenders, with the club roping Hugo Boumous, Adam Le Fondre, Bartholomew Ogbeche, and Farukh Choudhary on lucrative deals for the 2020-21 ISL season.