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Indian Super League has been a hotbed for players, from both India and abroad, to showcase their talents and gain some recognition.
We have seen some very big names grace the ISL, from World Cup winners to Champions League winners we have seen them all in the Indian Super League. Some have lived up to their expectations, while others have failed miserably.
On that note, let's take a look at some of the players who did well initially, but faded away later.
Romeo Fernandes (FC Goa)
Romeo was one of the first Indian players to light the ISL on fire. A favourite of the legendary Zico, Romeo was lively down the right flank. He was also one of the few Indian players to get their names on the scoresheet during the initial ISL season. Having played 11 games for FC Goa in the first season, Romeo managed to score three goals.
However, his form started dipping from the second season. Though he played 12 games Romeo managed only one goal and looked very unimpressive. A lot has been said about Romeo playing the same brand of football and not having diversity in his game, which has turned out to be a reason for his downfall as defenders have had ample time to study his game and improvise accordingly to counter Romeo’s moves.
Romeo has so far failed to manage a single cap for the Delhi Dynamos, his new ISL team.
Arata Izumi (ATK)
Arata was a revelation of sorts for Atletico de Kolkata in the first season. He scored on his debut for ATK against FC Goa, he also went on to score in the next match against Kerala Blasters to make it one of the most impressive debuts by an Indian in the Indian Super League.
The midfielder, who had played in both Singapore and in Japan, went on to score three more goals for ATK in his debut season in the ISL taking his total goal tally to 5. In his second season as he followed ATK head coach Antonio Habbas to FC Pune City, but couldn’t really replicate his form in Maharashtra. Arata is one of those players who has failed to live up to his expectations and it was his impressive debut season, raised the expectation levels on him.
Cavin Lobo (ATK)
Cavin Lobo became the first Indian player to score a brace in a single ISL game when he netted two against FC Goa. Lobo was and still is one of most talented ball-playing midfielders in India, and the expectations, especially after his debut, soared. But injuries and bad form led him down the pecking order for ATK and then again for the Kerala Blasters for whom he featured in the second season of the ISL.
Lobo chose not be a part of the ISL this season and decided to stay loyal to East Bengal the club that earned him fame and recognition in Indian football. However, is not one of the regular starters for coach Khalid Jamil this season.
Alexandros Tzorvas (NorthEast United FC)
Tzorvas was one of the relatively unknown legends to come to India and play in the Indian Super League. Being one of the first International players signed by NEUFC, the expectations on him were high.
He had a dream debut in the ISL, helping NorthEast United FC snatch full three points in their first-ever ISL game against Kerala Blasters. Tzorvas was inspirational under the bar as he made numerous crucial saves to keep a clean sheet and was awarded the Man of the Match award for his heroics under the bar.
However, his rosy days with NEUFC were limited though as he only went on to make just one more appearance for them as Ricky Herbert the then NEUFC coach decided to field Indian goalkeeper TP Rehenesh, who left Tzorvas warming the bench. It was rather unusual to see a player win the Man of the Match award and then being dropped from the squad despite being fully fit.
Fikru Teferra (ATK)
Fikru Teferra Lemessa will always be remembered as the first goal scorer of the ISL. He is also a two-time ISL winner, once with ATK and once with Chennaiyin FC.
Coach Antonio Lopez Habas was not exactly impressed with Fikru's attitude and work ethic, and he took the decision to drop him from the 18-member squad.
Next season, Fikru joined Chennaiyin FC under Marco Materazzi, but his inconsistency didn’t let go of him as he also faced similar problems. He managed to score only one goal from 11 appearances. The Ethiopian striker is one of the biggest examples of a player who had done brilliantly before but later faded away.
