#9 Alwyn George
Readers’ Ranking – 8th
2016 was the year when Alwyn George well and truly put himself on the Indian football map. It was a mixed start to his Bengaluru FC career under Ashley Westwood. He played only six I-League games, but was thrust into the limelight in the AFC Cup when the British manager rested a few of his stars.
Alwyn scored twice in the Blues’ 5-3 win over Ayeyawady United of Myanmar and he went into the end of the I-League season full of confidence. The change of management could not have come at a better time for him.
Albert Roca trusted the man from Nagpur with a spot on the right wing. Although the output that Alwyn gave does not reflect in the numbers, he was a crucial cog in Roca’s Bengaluru wheel. He put in an immense amount of work on whichever flank he was played on. That was important because invariably, Bengaluru had youngsters playing in one or both the full-back positions.
Nishu Kumar and Salam Ranjan Singh benefitted hugely from having Alwyn tracking back, which took the defensive weight off their shoulders. Alwyn’s role meant that it was easier for Roca to put Eugeneson Lyngdoh in the no. 10 role where he did wreak havoc.
