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The Indian Super League (ISL) is in its fourth season now and as we have observed, the appeal of the Indian football league is growing with every passing year. This time around as well, the league has managed to attract a large number of fans to the stadiums and the deafening cheers inside the ground have made for an electric atmosphere to play in.
One of the major reasons that the league still has this mass appeal is the fact that big name players continue to flock to India in order to play in the ISL. The biggest and quite obvious reason for this is the massive amounts of money the players earn to get lured towards the subcontinent. Not that Indian fans would mind though, as we get to see some legends of the game battle it out along with talented Indian players and it is practically a win-win for everybody.
Diving deeper into this story of monetary gain for players, we wanted to know how much money clubs are actually willing to pay in order to buy themselves goals in the ISL. And goal-scoring is of course, primarily a striker's job. So here are the 5 highest paid strikers in the ISL:
#5 Emiliano Alfaro - $318,479 (Rs 2.02 Cr)
This unassuming Uruguayan striker has been a driving force for Indian football since his arrival in the country with NorthEast United just a couple of years ago.
Emiliano Alfaro has since joined FC Pune City and if the numbers released on the official ISL website are to be believed, he is earning some big bucks to score some big goals for the club.
His goals this season have seen the team climb up a fair way in the ISL table and could perhaps be aiming for the ISL trophy, an achievement that the club hasn't pulled off in the three seasons before this one.
#4 Marcelinho - $324,979 (₹2.07 Cr.)
Versatile attacking player Marcelinho is next on this list with the Brazilian star earning his payday at FC Pune City with big contributions in front of goal.
He started off as a winger but has more than held his own in a forward position and has been scoring goals to add to his mercurial skill on the ball.
Pune fans have taken this South American to be one of their own in a very short period of time so it is fair to say that Marcelinho is already making up for that hefty price tag.
In this day and age where it seems to be all about the money, Pune's number 10 is showing his worth on the pitch.
#3 Dimitar Berbatov - $358,492 (₹2.2 crore)
Kerala Blasters fans have accepted Dimitar Berbatov with open arms and why wouldn't they. The former Manchester United and Spurs striker has shown his class across Europe and was a statement signing by the club earlier this season for an amount we all knew would be pretty heavy.
What fans will be slightly disappointed about, however, is his contribution to the team since arriving. No goals for the club so far and largely down to injury, but one has to question if all the money they are paying for him is really worth it.
Nonetheless, he continues to endear himself to the faithful and has made the ISL a truly global name simply by signing for Kerala Blasters.
#2 Robbie Keane - $400,000 (₹2.5 crore)
The defending champions ATK made a statement signing of their own following news that record Irish goal-scorer Robbie Keane was coming to the Bengal capital.
Fans around the country were excited by the news which promised big money for the former Liverpool and Spurs striker. Earning a huge amount for the deal, Keane has been plagued by injuries since joining the club but is steadily making some headway following two goals for the two-time champions.
Fans may want more especially with the club languishing towards the bottom of the table, but the mood remains positive around the Kolkata camp with regards to this iconic player.
#1 Miku - $499,930 (₹3.17 crore)
This one may surprise a few, but Bengaluru FC striker Miku is the highest paid player as well as a striker in the ISL this season.
The Venezuelan was brought in for what now has been revealed as a pretty astonishing amount but his work at the club in a very short period of time has been nothing short of phenomenal.
Forming a strike pairing with Sunil Chhetri, his goals have been pivotal to the club's success which sees them top of the table and gunning for the title in their debut season.
The team took a gamble with this one, but it looks to be paying off big time.
