While football has always been known as a team game, there have been several incidents when a single player has made a team looked noticeably better on the pitch. Pele for Cosmos, Maradona for Napoli and Francesco Totti for AS Roma have pulled out victories and trophies out of nowhere and have been absolute talismans for their respective sides.
Looking at the current scenario, there are a few players who’ve left their sides at the club level and the teams have suffered, highlighting their importance and the kind of contribution they provided to their teams. French warlike midfield machine N’Golo Kante shifted his bases from defending champions to Chelsea, and the floundering Foxes now know how difficult a loss it was.
Coming to Indian shores, the ISL has seen a similar pattern. A lot of foreigners have already plied their trade in the sub-continent and have seen a major push in the personal careers, thus, continuing on foreign shores. Here, we take a look at five different players who’ve left their respective clubs and the teams looking to have suffered from it.
#1 Debjit Majumder
Atletico de Kolkata have reached the semi-finals of the Hero Indian Super League for the third season running and much of the credit has to be given to the heroics of their goalkeeper, Debjit Majumder. The shot-stopper has been in phenomenal form under the bar and has seen his stakes rising ever since he took over as the number one choice in between the sticks under Jose Molina.
Known for his eccentric temperament, Majumder is solid in one-on-one situations and knows how to keep his defensive line in sync. Always animated on the field, the custodian had made just two appearances for Mumbai City FC last season. The Nicolas Anelka-led side of 2015 had conceded 26 goals, the second highest in the league. Had it been this bundle of raw energy under the bar, Anelka’s side could’ve had some more respectability to its statistics.
Debjit was awarded the Best Goalkeeper in the I-League in 2015 and in this season’s ISL, the Mohun Bagan man has shown that the trust bestowed on him is no fluke. The diminutive keeper has made 26 saves in the league, also saving a penalty from Champions League winner Florent Malouda, which speaks a lot about his quality and calmness in high-pressure situations.
#2 Stephen Pearson
The player might have taken a sabbatical for a year, but he’s back with a bang. Pearson reached the finals of the Hero Indian Super League in its inaugural season with the Kerala Blasters. He was, in fact, the ma who scored the winning goal in extra-time against South Indian rivals Chennaiyin FC in the semi-finals that year. The Scot returned for the third season of ISL and signed the dotted line for Atletico de Kolkata, who have used him effectively.
The former Celtic man has seen a change in role at his new club, and seems to be thriving there. Pearson was used as a super-sub in the attacking third by David James in the first season, while Molina has used his as a pivotal midfielder who has the freedom to go ahead and attack. Inspiring play from the deep, Pearson has made some key contributions to his team, scoring three times.
While the Kerala Blasters campaign stuttered in the beginning, the presence of someone who’s been there and won five trophies in the Scottish League would’ve surely come handy. The midfield for the Blasters has looked too defensive at times, with Mahamat and Mehtab Hossain both being similar players. The former PFA Scot young player of the year award winner has performed exceedingly well for his new side, and it will be interesting to see how Molina uses his trump card in the knock-out phases.
#3 Cedric Hengbart
The French defender is a rock at the back, and there’s no denying that. Every time Hengbart goes out on a football pitch, he gives his 100%, and that’s exactly why he’s revered highly throughout the footballing scenario. The 6’1” defender led Kerala Blasters magnificently to the finals in the first season of the Indian Super League, making 101 clearances and 49 tackles.
In the second season, Hengbart joined the NorthEast United and kept performing well. The Highlanders had ended their first season at the bottom of the table, having been poor in all departments of the game. Hengbart’s arrival saw the team getting better, and the John Abraham’s side finished the second season at the fifth spot, a much better scenario than the first season.
In the third season, it was a homecoming for Hengbart. Kerala Blasters entrusted the man yet again and signed him. Cedric has been absolutely magnificent for the Blasters this season, bailing them out of crisis situations innumerable times. It can easily be said that Kerala’s gain is NorthEast’s loss, as the Blasters got into the knock-out stages defeating the Highlanders 1-0. Hengbart, in particular, had a great game against his former employers.
#4 Stiven Mendoza
The Columbian is one of the best players to have ever graced the Indian Super League, and his departure from Chennaiyin FC has made a void too difficult to fill. Dudu Omagbeni and Stefan Succi are no pushovers, but Mendoza was a different class altogether. The charisma and quality was so good that even Jeje Lalpekhlua, in Mendoza’s company, looked a much better striker.
Having taken the Super Machans to the semi-finals in the first season and to the title last season, Mendoza was easily the most destructive and explosive striker in the league. The fleet-footed forward scored 17 goals in just 25 appearances for the Chennaiyin FC, and has left for the New York City FC where he shares the field alongside footballing legends like David Villa and Andrea Pirlo.
Ever since Mendoza’s departure, Chennaiyin FC have looked off-color and have failed to find that flavor in the attacking third. Bruno Pelissari’s departure too, has hurt the Chennai-based side and Coach Marco Materazzi has accepted the fact that his team has missed the two mercurial forwards. The Machans have failed to make it to the semi-finals for the first time in three seasons, which speaks highly of the loss in the attacking third.
#5 Leo Moura
Stiven Mendoza should’ve been the numero uno in this list, but such has been the catastrophic fall of the Gaurs that Leo Moura dismantles the Columbian. Hardworking, coordinating and highly effective, Leo Moura was the lynchpin for the FC Goa side which reached the finals of the Indian Super League last season.
The player has left for his home town, Brazil, and has signed for Santa Cruz, who surely have benefited from the lanky midfielder’s presence. Moura played 16 games last season for Zico’s side, missing just one. Playing in the deep-lying playmaker role, Moura broke a lot of opposition attacks, committing 14 fouls and picking up five yellow cards in the process.
Coming to the attacking side, Moura made eight assists, the joint highest in the league with Florent Malouda, who played much higher up the pitch. The Brazilian also scored two goals in the league, which only adds to his unending presence. FC Goa have looked absent on the pitch in the midfield and Richarlyson and Trindade have been absolute failures on the pitch for the Gaurs. Zico must be ruing his luck, letting off his talisman from last season.
