The third season of the ISL has provided us with some exciting football thus far. There has been a visible upgrade in the quality of the game and the presence of world class players and coaches, in particular, is believed to be the catalyst behind the improvement that Indian football craved.
While it might be deemed a tad too early for players currently on top of their game to play in the ISL, especially with it clashing with the regular season across the globe, we have had the pleasure of witnessing some of the greatest footballers in action on the Indian soil courtesy of the ISL.
In this segment, we bring to you 5 top players from across the globe who are currently playing in the ISL.
#5 Mohamed Sissoko
A product of the famed Auxerre academy that has produced a number of superstars, Sissoko first grabbed the footballing limelight with Valencia under the then manager Rafael Benitez with his athletic performances in the middle of the park. Sissoko’s industry, ability to recover loose balls in the midfield and hard tackling ability played a crucial role in Valencia winning the La Liga as well as UEFA Cup in 2003-04.
Benitez, who was impressed with his performances, brought him to England with Liverpool at the start of the 2005-06 campaign and Sissoko instantly became a hit with the Kop due to his tenacious displays during his three years in England.
He has since gone on to play for major European clubs such as Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Fiorentina. However, with age catching up with him, he had to be content with a bit-part role in the later stages of his career. He is currently the Marquee player for Pune City FC and while he might not have the pace and athleticism he once possessed, the 31-year-old has given us a glimpse of what he can bring to the table with his displays in ISL.
#4 John Arne Riise
The Norwegian was in his prime, one of the most devastating left-backs in England. Possessing the legs to leave even the fastest of the oppositions behind and a terrific left-foot, Riise was one of the most beloved figures at Liverpool during his time with the club.
He began his footballing journey at his local club Aalesund in 1996 before making the move to Monaco at the start of the 1998-99 campaign, a transfer that brought him the deserved attention of clubs across Europe. Liverpool were quickest to their checkbook and brought Riise to the red half of the Merseyside at the beginning of the 2001-02 season and the Norwegian went on to have an event filled 7 years at the club, winning numerous trophies in England and Europe.
However, like any other footballer, he too experienced a dip in his form and was shipped to AS Roma in 2008 and subsequently went on to play for Fulham and APOEL CF. Having featured for Delhi Dynamos in the previous season, the left-back who can also play as a central midfielder or central defender has been an ever-present figure in the Chennaiyin FC side that currently sits in the third place.
#3 Florent Malouda
The Frenchman came to the limelight during his time at Guingamp where he spent 3 years and was snapped up by French heavyweights Lyon at the beginning of the 2003-04 campaign. Malouda went on to become an integral part of the Lyon side from 2003-07 that also featured the likes of Michael Essien, Juninho, Gregory Coupet and Mahamadou Diarra and helped his side win 4 consecutive league titles during his 4 years at the club.
Despite interest from several European clubs and in particular Liverpool, the French winger finally decided to move to England with Chelsea and continued with his glorious performances on the left-hand side of the pitch, scoring goals as well as assisting them at a regular frequency.
He won the Premier League, FA Cup and the coveted Champions League during his time at the Stamford Bridge, though it must be noted that with Chelsea’s rich resources, he was largely deployed in a bit part role due to the presence of numerous quality players in the latter half of his Chelsea career.
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Malouda, who had also been a regular for the French national team, making 80 appearances for them, decided to join Turkish club Tranzonspor at the end of the 2012-13 campaign and has since had stints with Metz and Degia.
Currently playing for Delhi Dynamos, after being roped in by Roberto Carlos in 2015, the Frenchman continues to enthrall the Indian fans with his creative displays on the pitch under new manager Gianluca Zambrotta.
#2 Diego Forlan
Diego Forlan was in his prime, regarded as the best Uruguayan player and has also been touted as one of the greatest Uruguayan player to have graced the game of football. He made his senior debut with the Argentine club Independiente in 1997 and was found instant success, scoring 40 goals in 91 appearances for the club.
Such was his impact as a striker that Middlesbrough were ready to offer a sum of £6.9 million to bring him to England. However, Manchester United jumped into the fray and grabbed the player from under the noses of the Teesside club by offering better payment terms to Independiente and Forlan. However, the move did not yield the best results as the player failed to find his rhythm at Old Trafford and was subsequently sold to Villarreal.
The switch to Spain seemed to have worked wonders for the club as he soon found his goal scoring boots and became a critical player at the club. However, his purple patch as a footballer came during his time at Atletico Madrid, whom he joined at the start of the 2007-08 season.
Not only did he help his side to the UEFA Europa League title, he also became a critical part of the Uruguayan national team and helped them to a 4th place finish in the 2010 FIFA world cup and deservedly won the golden ball for his performances.
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A two-time Pichichi Trophy and European Golden Shoe winner, Forlan is currently involved with Mumbai City FC and is expected to play a critical role if the side is to achieve any success this season.
#1 Lucio
With our national team not too well placed on the FIFA rankings and often being beaten comprehensively by Asian countries, it often evokes strong emotions if a player who has played in the World Cup, let alone won it makes an appearance in the country.
The tenacious centre-back represented a number of elite footballing clubs from across the globe in the form of Internacional, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Juventus and Sau Paulo during his formative years, winning trophies in abundance and establishing himself as one of the greatest defenders of his generation.
He won the Bundesliga 4 times and the Serie A once during his 13 years in Europe, while also helping his numerous sides achieve footballing heights across various other competitions.
However, it is his performances for the Brazilian national team, with whom he won an incredible 105 caps that truly etched him in the glorious memoirs of the game. He was an integral part of the 2002 FIFA world cup winning Brazil side and played every single game of his side’s campaign.
While Brazil might not have won the World Cup post-2002, they have been regularly stacking up other international trophies and Lucio also played a crucial role in his side’s FIFA Confederations Cup victories in 2005 and 2009.
Lucio is currently employed by FC Goa after agreeing to join them at the start of the last campaign. While he helped his side to the final last season, where they eventually lost to Chennaiyin FC, his side’s campaign has not begun on the perfect note as they currently languish at the bottom of the league table.
However, with a player of Lucio’s quality in its ranks, don’t write off the Goan club yet as they can rapidly rise in the league table.
