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Seven out of the 15 confirmed teams for the 2013-14 I-League did not play in the top flight until 2007. Only four clubs have played in every edition of the I-League, which started in 2007. So, very few current I-League sides can boast of players, who are in their second spells at the club.
Second spells for players can either mean another chance to prove themselves like in the case of Craig Bellamy at Liverpool or a homecoming like Thierry Henry’s return to Arsenal.
Sportskeeda lists the players who have rejoined a team for a second spell this season and not surprisingly the three clubs in question are among the four teams who have played in every edition of the I-League.
Homecoming
Sandip Nandy (Mohun Bagan)
There possibly can’t be a better homecoming story in the combined history of the NFL and I-League than that of Sandip Nandy. The 38-year-old goalkeeper had his first spell for Mohun Bagan in the late 90’s, winning his first top flight title back in 2000. Since then he has played for five more clubs, winning four more league trophies and is the only player to have won the Indian league title with four different clubs.
Last season, after being released by East Bengal many people thought Sandip’s time was up but the custodian joined Churchill Brothers and was instrumental in their second league success, keeping the maximum clean sheets. He even made a return to the Indian national team and was adjudged the best goalkeeper. Nandy is back at Mohun Bagan after 13 seasons and would be aiming to have the perfect swansong by ending the Kolkata club’s 11-year wait for a league title.
Beto (Dempo)
Besides Sandip, another player that has the unique distinction of winning four or more Indian league titles is Beto. Three of those were achieved at Dempo in a highly successful six-year spell when his combination with Nigerian striker Ranti Martins was considered to be one of the most lethal in Asia as the Goan side also reached the AFC Cup semi-finals in 2008. During that six-year stay, Beto had been approached by several other clubs but the Brazilian consistently resisted other offers until 2011 when he joined Churchill Brothers.
Beto was Churchill’s best player in each of his two campaigns there and his class and experience inspired the Red Machines to the league title last season. The 34-year-old rejoined Dempo this summer and his presence will be valuable for Arthur Papas’ young squad. Beto probably doesn’t have too many years left in him and thus he has returned to the club that gave him all the stardom.
Shylo Malswamtluanga (East Bengal)
Mama (No.28) Photo Credit: AIFF Media
Better known as ‘Mama’, Malswamtluanga is one of the first footballers from Mizoram to have a successful career in Indian club football. The crafty wide midfielder joined East Bengal as a teenager back in 2002 during the tenure of the legendary Subhash Bhowmick. Mama played an important role in East Bengal’s back-to-back league triumphs and the historic ASEAN Cup success in 2003. The 28-year-old spent five seasons with the red-and-gold brigade before moving to Salgaocar in 2007 but didn’t have a successful time there and joined Mohun Bagan in 2008.
Despite winning three trophies with the green-and-maroon brigade, Mama wasn’t the same player that dazzled for East Bengal. He joined United Sports Club in 2009 and it was only last season that he regained his best form and got a call-up to the national team. Mama has now returned to East Bengal after six years and recently revealed how his family got upset when he first left the red-and-gold brigade.
Note: Veteran midfielder Dipankar Roy has also returned to East Bengal for one season after which he will formally announce his retirement from professional football. In recent years, he has been a bit-part player for some Calcutta Football League (CFL) teams. East Bengal accepted his request of allowing him to retire at the club where he spent the best years of his career, in the early part of the Noughties.
A second chance
Abhra Mondal (East Bengal)
The 25-year-old goalkeeper’s first spell at East Bengal was the ultimate roller coaster. He inspired the club to 2009 Federation Cup success, keeping a clean sheet in each of the five games and saving three penalties in the shootout against Shillong Lajong in the final. But earlier that season, Abhra became the first East Bengal goalkeeper to concede five against arch-rivals Mohun Bagan in a 5-3 defeat and this unwanted distinction will remain with him for the rest of his career.
After spending six years with the red-and-gold brigade, Abhra was loaned out to Pune FC in 2011 and following a string of impressive displays, he completed the permanent move to Pune in 2012. Despite another decent season at Pune, Abhra has returned to East Bengal and faces competition with three others for a starting place. He will be determined to have a more successful and consistent spell this time around.
Jewel Raja (Dempo)
Jewel Raja (left) Photo Credit: AIFF Media
The India international’s first I-League club was Dempo, whom he joined in 2008 after excelling for India’s age-group teams. But Jewel was only a teenager back then and with Dempo’s midfield packed with India team players and foreigners like Beto and Ogba Kalu Nnanna, the central medio made very few I-League appearances for the Goan giants. He mostly played in the Goa League and then moved to Indian Arrows in 2010. Jewel was one of the best players for AIFF’s developmental side in their debut season and that earned him a big money move to Mohun Bagan.
Despite spending two years with the Mariners, Jewel couldn’t properly play to his potential as he was often played out of position but the 23-year-old now has the perfect opportunity to become an I-League star at Dempo under Australian coach Arthur Papas, who has a reputation of getting the best out of talented youngsters.
Kinshuk Debnath (Mohun Bagan)
Following two consistent campaigns for United Sports Club, Kinshuk joined Mohun Bagan in 2010 after declining a job offer from South Eastern Railway. Kinshuk played his entire career as a center back so he struggled initially while operating as a right back at Mohun Bagan but following the appointment of Subroto Bhattacharya in his second season, the 28-year-old returned to his natural position and turned out to be one of the best defenders in the league. Kingshuk deservingly earned a call-up to the Indian national team and was part of the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup squad.
Surprisingly, he was not retained by Mohun Bagan for the following season. He moved to Mohammedan Sporting and helped them gain promotion to the I-League. Realising their mistake of releasing him earlier, Mohun Bagan have re-signed the defender this term and both parties would be hoping for a long and successful second spell.
