ISL: 6 players who secured big moves after playing in the ISL

Besides making football popular again, the ISL has brought in several big names to Indian football.

The four seasons have seen legends such as Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet, Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda, Diego Forlán and Dimitar Berbatov enthrall audiences.

Despite making little impact on the field with their performances, they have definitely added glamour and raised the profile of the game in India,

There have also been relatively unknown overseas players that have made their mark and moved onto better leagues.

Let’s have a look at them.

Mark Sifneos

The Greek-Dutch striker was part of the Kerala Blasters setup in the fourth edition of the ISL scoring 4 goals in 12 appearances. After the sacking of Rene Meulensteen, the youngster departed for FC Goa in the second half of the season. He scored on one occasion and made 7 appearances.

His big frame (191 cm ) makes him the ideal centre-forward. His aerial prowess, good technical ability, and his work rate caught the attention of Greek giants Panathinaikos.

The 21-year-old will be wearing the famous green jersey and hoping to succeed in the Greek Super League.

Borja Fernandez

The veteran Spanish midfielder was ATK’s midfield general. The deep-lying midfielder was adept at breaking up play, controlling the tempo of the game with his expansive range of passing. With a passing accuracy of 78%, 181 tackles and 115 interceptions to his name, the Spanish conductor has been one of the finest midfielders to grace the Indian Super League (ISL).

After his successful stint in India, Borja joined Real Valladolid in the Segunda Division. His impressive performances helped Valladolid secure promotion to the Spanish top flight - La Liga.

Even at 37, the former Real Madrid player is going strong and his role will be crucial if Valladolid wants to stay in the top flight at the end of the season.

James Keene

The English striker was part of the NorthEast United FC squad in the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League in 2014.

James debuted in the English Premier League in 2005 under Harry Redknapp. He then had a successful career in Sweden between 2007 to 2013, scoring enough goals to generate a clamor for nationalization and a call-up to the Swedish National team,

After his stint with NorthEast United FC, the striker moved back to Sweden with Halmstad. Following that, he joined Bidvest Wits in the South African Premier Division. He now plays for SuperSport United in the same league.

Stiven Mendoza

The former Under-20 Colombian international was the undisputed star of the 2015 Indian Super League. Mendoza with his electric pace and razor-sharp finishing notched up an impressive tally of 13 goals in 15 games in ISL 2 for Chennaiyin FC. He won the title and also the golden boot award.

His performances in ISL fetched him a deal with New York City FC in Major League Soccer, playing alongside the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard, and David Villa.

After a short stint with Bahia, the Colombian striker then moved on to Ligue 1 club Amiens on a three-year deal until 2021. He has already notched up 2 goals in 13 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit.

John Goossens

The former Feyenoord midfielder was a part of the FC Pune City squad in the first season of the Indian Super League in 2014.

After just 4 matches, Goossens suffered a serious injury which ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Following that, he moved to Romanian side FC Voluntari and then joined Chicago Fire in the Major League Soccer.

He now plays for ADO Den Haag in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Darren O’Dea

The Republic of Ireland international was part of the Mumbai City team in the second edition of Indian Super League in 2015.

After his stint in India, O'Dea joined Dundee in the Scottish Premiership. Since then he has notched up 67 appearances for the club and has been named the club captain.