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In the six years that the Indian Super League (ISL) has been in existence, there have been a good number of big-name players in the tournament. Starting with the likes of Elano, David James, Marco Materazzi, and Michael Chopra in the first season, big names have graced the tournament every year. Recent seasons have also witnessed players such as Robbie Keane, Tim Cahill and Roberto Carlos play in the ISL.
The premise of a tournament such as the ISL has always been the development of Indian players in order to help India feature in the FIFA World Cup. In fact, there have been several players who have gone on to play for the country with many others such as Steven Dias, Ishfaq Ahmed, and Gouramangi Singh taking up coaching roles in and around the country.
While it remains to be seen whether India does qualify for the FIFA World Cup in the future, let's take a look at five players who have managed to achieve legendary status in the Indian Super League.
#1 Iain Hume
Canadian forward Iain Hume was among the first players to be drafted into the Indian Super League. Although there were a few question marks regarding his age, the 31-year-old Hume came into a Kerala Blasters outfit following a few strong performances with Fleetwood Town and Preston North End.
Hume played 16 games for the Blasters and scored 5 goals, something that helped the club reach the final of the inaugural edition of the ISL. Hume played alongside the likes of Michael Chopra, David James and Victor Pulga, and also captained the side in the final. ATK won the final 1-0 as Hume and company failed to get on the scoresheet.
Iain Hume would go on to play for ATK the following season, helping the club win their second ISL title in 2016. Hume then returned to Kerala Blasters before finishing off his career with FC Pune City at the end of the 2018-19 season.
The Canadian bagged several awards and accolades in his ISL career. Apart from winning the 2016 edition of the league, Hume was awarded the Hero of the League in 2014 and the Fittest Player in 2015. He was named in the ISL Team of the year at the end of the 2016 season.
#2 Sunil Chhetri
As the captain of the Indian football team and the ISL club Bengaluru FC, Sunil Chhetri is one of the few legendary players still playing in the ISL. The inaugural season of the ISL witnessed Chhetri sign with Mumbai City FC as Bengaluru FC were still playing I-League football. At the end of the first season, Chhetri's name would be reinforced as a household name in Indian football.
In the last few years, however, Chhetri has found a home in Bengaluru FC. Having captained the side in their first season in 2013, Chhetri was instrumental in helping the club secure the I-League title. He has not looked back since, helping the Blues secure silverware in almost every season they have been in existence.
At the moment, it would seem as though Chhetri has lost a yard of pace. However, he still remains the first-choice captain for Carles Cuadrat's side and will be leading the Blues in the upcoming season of the ISL. Chhetri will be an integral member as the team management aims to rectify the dearth of goals from the previous season.
#3 Sandesh Jhingan
In many circles, Sandesh Jhingan is the man to take Indian football forward in the next 5-7 years. Jhingan's career trajectory has seen an upward trend over the last few years. He has become a lot stronger and his presence in the backline is felt almost every time he steps onto the field.
After having spent the last few seasons with the Kerala Blasters, Jhingan was the subject of transfer speculation from a few top-tier clubs in the English Premier League. However, due to the pandemic, the move fell through with Jhingan eventually signing for new entrants, ATK Mohun Bagan.
The 27-year-old has now committed his heart and soul to The Mariners and was instrumental in helping the club secure their first-ever win in the ISL in the Season 7 opener. The match was particularly important for Jhingan as he faced his old club Kerala Blasters with Roy Krishna scoring the only goal of the match.
At the moment, Jhingan is used by Igor Stimac as the first-choice captain for the national team with Sunil Chhetri, Pronay Halder, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu acting as backups. Needless to say, Sandesh Jhingan is one of the biggest finds in the ISL so far.
#4 Anirudh Thapa
Similar to Sandesh Jhingan, Anirudh Thapa is one of the biggest ISL success stories. At 22, Thapa has become an integral member of both Chennaiyin FC and the Indian national team. Thapa made his debut for the club in 2016 where he played the final match of the season against FC Goa.
The youngster exhibited his potential to one and all that day and almost came close to scoring his first goal. However, the goal was not given to him as the ball came off a defender and found its way into the back of the net. Thapa played the first 67 minutes before being substituted.
Since then, Thapa has made a total of 55 appearances in the ISL for Chennaiyin FC, scoring three goals while creating several more. Along with youngster Sahal Abdul Samad, Thapa is widely viewed as the future of Indian football.
In the current season of the ISL, Thapa is also being considered by Chennaiyin FC coach Csaba Laszlo as a potential candidate to wear the captain's armband in addition to Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev.
#5 Ferran Corominas
When Ferran 'Coro' Corominas signed for FC Goa at the start of the 2017-18 ISL season, he was among the first few players to be brought into the side by then-coach Sergio Lobera. Although he was expected to play only in a squad rotation role, Coro quickly became a regular in the first team and took an immediate liking to the ISL by scoring a goal in virtually every game.
Coro managed to win the Golden Boot in the first season of the ISL after smashing 18 goals in the 20 games he played. The following seasons saw coach Sergio Lobera add attacking players to the squad such as Hugo Boumous, Ahmed Jahouh, and Jackichand Singh.
Along with existing players like Brandon Fernandes, Mandar Rao Dessai, and Lenny Rodrigues, the club became a formidable attacking unit. In just three years, Coro would help Goa to the League Winners' Shield in the 2019-20 season and the Super Cup in 2019.
At the same time, Coro also helped himself to two Golden Boots in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. At the moment, Coro tops the scoring charts in the ISL with a total of 48 goals from 57 matches. Although it was widely expected that Coro would sign for Mumbai City FC or Bengaluru FC for the upcoming season, the 37-year-old returned to Spain to join CD Atletico Baleares.
