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I-League side Pune FC (now defunct) made headlines in 2012 when Lester Fernandes moved to Kolkata-based I-League side Prayag United for a transfer fee worth ₹20 lakhs. The move became the first official transfer move in Indian football, which included transfer fee breaking an existing contract between the player and the club.
Thereafter, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) introduced the transfer fees rule in 2016 and made such occurrences more frequent in Indian football.
From Shyam Thapa's move from East Bengal to Mohun Bagan worth ₹50,000 in 1977 on a free transfer to more than ₹1 crore being paid to the clubs as transfer fees, the Indian football market has taken a stiff jump, akin to the international player market and it will only climb higher as more investments are pumped into Indian football.
So far, the top 3 highest transfer fees paid in Indian football are mostly players who are relatively new in the Indian footballing circuit. Thus, through the lens of this article, we would take a detailed look at those footballers.
#3 Michael Soosairaj (Jamshedpur FC to ATK Mohun Bagan) - ₹90 lakhs
Michael Soosairaj was one of the many rising talents from Tamil Nadu, who shot to prominence during Chennai City's I-League winning campaign in 2017-18. The youngster was adjudged the 'Best Midfielder' of the league in that season and displayed his agility, utility and goal-scoring nous throughout the term.
Impressed by the midfielder, Jamshedpur FC activated his ₹30 lakhs release clause and brought him to the Steel City for their debut ISL season in 2018 on a two-year contract.
Soosairaj played 14 games for the Red Miners, scored 4 goals and was one of the best Indian performers on the pitch. In the process, that stellar season prompted ATK (now ATK Mohun Bagan) to activate his ₹90 lakhs release clause to bring him to the City of Joy, tying him down to a deal till the end of 2023-24 season.
The Indian's current contract with the 2019-20 ISL champions makes him the highest-paid player from Tamil Nadu, earning around ₹1.2 crores in a single season.
Soosairaj began his football career with Chennai first division side, Arrows FC but his move to I-League side, Chennai City allowed him the requisite platform to flourish, thereby tempting teams to splash the cash on him, meaning that he is now one of the highest paid Indian footballers of all time and has also commanded the highest transfer fee in an intra-league move in India.
#2 Edu Garcia (Bengaluru FC to Zhejiang Greentown) - ₹95 lakhs
Edu Garcia impressed in his maiden season in India with Bengaluru FC in 2017/18. The Spaniard played 14 games for the Blues, scored twice and provided 5 assists before handing in a transfer request in November 2017.
Chinese League one (Chinese second division) side, Zhejiang Greentown approached the midfielder with an astronomical salary of ₹2.5 crores per season, thereby forcing Bengaluru FC to approve the transfer request and sell him.
Negotiations with the Chinese side continued for two weeks and they ultimately shelled out a ₹95 lakhs transfer fee to get Edu on board. The transfer move made Bengaluru FC the first Indian club to earn from an outgoing transfer of a foreign player.
The Spaniard spent one season at Zhejiang Greentown before returning to India for a free transfer, when ATK signed him in the 2019 winter transfer window. Garcia stayed at the club for the the 2019/20 season and was a pivotal part of the side's ISL winning campaign, scoring six goals and providing three assists, including a strike in the final against Chennaiyin FC.
#1 Pedro Manzi (Chennai City to Albirex Nigata) - ₹1.2 crores
Pedro Javier Manzi scored 21 goals in 18 games in the 2018-19 edition of the I-League for Chennai City FC to steer the Coimbatore-based side to their maiden I-League title and also won the 'Golden Boot' in the process.
The striker scored in almost every game with assistance from Sandro and Nestor Gordillo in the midfield. His exploits upfront for the club established him as a bright prospect in Indian and Asian Football after the end of the 2018-19 season.
Chennai City FC kept getting offers from several lower-division East Asian and ISL sides but the Rohit Ramesh owned-club kept rejecting all such offers with their campaign in the AFC Asian Champions League/AFC Cup in mind.
However, an astronomical offer from Japanese J2 League side Albirex Niigata forced Chennai City FC to ponder the sale of their best forward. Albirex had appointed former New York City FC assistant coach, Albert Puig as their coach a couple of months back before the transfer.
The new manager was looking for a striker and he knew about Manzi from one of his fellow New York City assistant coaches, Jordi Gris, who used to be the assistant coach at Chennai City FC.
Albirex Nigata paid a whopping ₹1.2 crores to Chennai City FC to procure the services of the Spaniard. Manzi will be paid more than ₹3 crores during his stay with Albirex which lasts till 31st January 2020.
