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Football is a team game and no successful team in football has ever consisted of 11 star players. There will always be players in the team who work hard and do all the work behind the scenes but are never given enough credit.The ongoing ISL season has also seen many star turns and great performances from individual players. It also has seen many players not really spoken about as much as they deserved for their performances.We take a look at 5 players who are unsung heroes for their Indian Super League teams.
#1 Rahul Bheke
Rahul Bheke was in inspired form for an under-performing Kerala Blasters team. The Maharashtra-born defender featured in 12 of the games so far for the Kerala Blasters, making an impressive 33 tackles, winning 8 aerial duels and 10 interceptions.
He was a rock-solid presence at the back for a Kerala side, who failed to get going throughout the season and finished eventually at the bottom of the table. The 24-year-old also had two assists to his name so far in the tournament.
Bheke started his senior career at Mumbai based I-league club Air India. He didn’t take too long to cement his place in the team, and was a regular for the Mumbai outfit. He then joined Mumbai Tigers, and later signed for Mumbai FC after Mumbai Tigers was disbanded in 2013.
Earlier this year, Rahul Bheke was signed by Kolkata giants East Bengal before he signed for Kerala Blasters on loan.
#2 Souvik Chakraborty
Souvik Chakraborty is a truly an unsung hero for the Delhi Dynamos in the Indian Super League as they look to go through to the final of the Indian Super League. He has been one of the best performers for Delhi Dynamos, who secured their place in the playoffs after a win against NorthEast United FC.
Souvik has made 12 appearances for Delhi Dynamos so far, making an impressive 65 tackles, winning 9 aerial duels and making 17 interceptions. He has been the difference for Delhi Dynamos this season, who failed to qualify for the semifinals last season.
The 24-year-old is a youth product of Kolkata club Mohun Bagan, and also made 37 senior appearances for them, scoring 6 goals. He then played for Mumbai based club Air India and Kolkata club United SC, before returning to Mohun Bagan in 2014 with whom he won the I-League.
Souvik is yet to make an appearance for the national side, but a call from national coach Stephen Constantine doesn’t look too far away.
#3 Jaime Gavilan
Jamie Gavilan has been in fine form for Atletico de Kolkata, and is one of the first names on the team sheet. The Spaniard has featured in all 15 games till now, and has three assists to his name.
He has done well to keep the Atletico de Kolkata attack cohesive in the final third, and is always working hard for the team to create goalscoring chances. His role will be of great importance if the team are to comeback from a 3-0 first leg deficit to Chennaiyin FC.
Gavilan is a youth product of La Liga side Valencia, and also played for their reserves and senior team. During his time at Valencia, he was sent on loan to Tenerife in the Segunda Division, and La Liga side Getafe.
He then permanently signed for Getafe at the start of 2008-09 season and made 184 appearances in the La Liga for them, winning the Copa del Rey. The midfielder also played for Spanish youth sides at various levels, and was part of the Spain U-20 team that finished as runners-up in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2003.
#4 Jonatan Lucca
Jonatan Lucca has been an integral part of Zico’s team, who sealed their place in the semifinals after an emphatic 5-1 win against Kerala Blasters. The 21-year-old has made 49 tackles, more than any of his teammates, in the 14 games that he has played this season and will be very crucial if Goa are to overthrow a one-goal lead going into the 2nd leg of their semi-final.
His combative playing style, accompanied by his good passing, make him an ideal midfielder, especially in a team like Goa that specialises in playing proper passing football. His ability to make late runs into the box is also something very useful, and that has seen him score 3 goals and assist one more for the Goan side.
The midfielder is a youth product of Brazilian club Internacional and made a big move to Serie A giants AS Roma at the age of 18. His career there failed to take-off, but Lucca then moved to Atletico Paranaense, from where he was signed by Goa.
#5 Thoi Singh
Thoi Singh might be a big name in the Indian football scene after his impressive performances for Bengaluru FC, but he has not got enough credit for his performances for Chennaiyin FC. He has completed 65 tackles and completed 22 interceptions in the 14 games he has played so far in the tournament.
The Manipur-born central midfielder was bought by Chennaiyin FC for Rs 86 lac during the Indian Super League auction and he has justfied every penny spent on him.
Singh has been full of running and has played in different positions for the Chennai-based outfit, including the right wing and the centre of midfield. In what has been a tumultuous season for the MS Dhoni co-owned team, Thoi’s consistency has been a great advantage.
His career kicked off when he was signed by I-league giants Bengaluru FC. He started making a name for himself there and won the I-league with them in their debut season. He has also won the Federation Cup with Bengaluru FC in 2014-15.
