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Professional football leagues all over the world consist of a mix of both domestic and foreign players, which improves the quality of the game and serves as an opportunity for players to seek new challenges and make themselves known.The Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga are some of the most famous leagues in the world and have several foreign players who have raised the profile of the league and contributed immensely to their team’s cause. Similarly, there have been many imports in Indian football, who have shone for their clubs and carved out a name for themselves.Let’s take a look at the top 5 foreign players to have played in the I-League!
#5 Arata Izumi - Japan/India
Born to an Indian father and Japanese mother, Izumi became the first foreign national to play for India after he obtained an Indian passport in August 2012. The midfielder, who can play on either wing, started out with a Singaporean club, and then moved to his native country in 2006 to play for Mitsubishi Mizushima.
He then moved to India and signed for Kolkata Giants, East Bengal, in November 2006. He had a decent debut season ending up with 1 goal and 10 assists in the 14 games he played. He was then signed by Mahindra United, where he stayed for two seasons, winning the Durand Cup in the process.
In what he labels as the turning point of his career, Izumi joined newly-promoted Pune FC in 2009 and finished with 10 goals and 10 assists in 26 league games, with an additional 6 goals in cup matches. He finished the season as the highest scoring midfielder in the I-League winning the ‘Pune FC Man of Steel’ award, as the club finished in third position in their first season in the top flight.
He is currently the captain of Pune FC and has amassed 129 appearances for the team, scoring 25 goals. He is known for his dazzling runs and quick feet along with a sharp tactical mind and positional awareness, which has helped him succeed and perform at such a consistent level over half a decade.
He also has 9 caps for the Indian national team, as he made his debut in 2013, after coming on as a substitute in a 4-2 loss versus Palestine.
#4 Suley Musah - Ghana
Arguably the best foreign defender to have ever played in the Indian domestic game, Suleh Musah joined East Bengal in 1997. He was an integral part of the team for seven continuous seasons from 1997/98 to 2003/04. He returned to the club for another season in 2007, which means that the Ghanaian is the longest serving foreign player in the history of the Red and Gold Brigade.
He started out as a wing back but switched over to the centre of defense as his career progressed and later even in midfield. He was announced as captain of the club in 2003, the year in which they won the ASEAN Cup, National Football League title and the Kolkata League as well.
He has scored 41 goals for the club, including the second-fastest goal in league history in 2001 in a 2-1 win over Tollygunge Agragami, scoring in just 21 seconds. He has also played for Mohammedan Sporting and Air India for short spells, but he shall go down in history for his tenure with East Bengal. At the end of his career with East Bengal, Musah could boast of three National Football Leagues and six Kolkata League, along with the IFA Shield, Durand Cup, McDowell Trophy and the Airlines Gold Cup.
#3 Odafa Okolie - Nigeria
A tall and powerful striker, Odafa Okolie is one of the all-time top scorers in the history of Indian football. His tryst with Indian football began in 2003 when he was signed by Mohammedan Sporting, but unfortunately he didn’t make a single appearance for the side.
He moved to Bangladesh in 2004, signing for Gopalganj-based side Muktijoddha and scoring 34 goals for them in just 28 appearances. The striker retuned to India and signed for Goan side Churchill Brothers in the very next league season. He made his breakthrough in 2006 as he scored 12 goals for his team that season, which was a small indication of what was to come in the following seasons.
Odafa finished as top scorer for three consecutive seasons in the first three editions on the I-League i.e. in the years 2007, 2008 and 2009, scoring a total 77 goals over these three seasons and also being named captain of the side. He won the Durand Cup with Churchill Brothers in 2007 and 2009. He scored 24 goals in the league in 2008-09 as Churchill won the league by three points.
He stayed with the Goan club for another season as before moving to Mohun Bagan in 2011, as he signed a one-year deal worth a staggering Rs 3 crore. His performances for the Kolkata outfit justified his price tag as he finished the next two season’s as the second highest goal scorer behind Ranti Martins. He scored 51 goals in just 34 games for the Mariners, at a rate of 1.5 goals per game.
He signed for Churchill again in 2014, and then moved to Sporting Goa midway through the season in March 2015, scoring 8 goals in 11 appearances, and thus helping the club narrowly escape relegation. Odafa, with his height and strong physical presence, coupled with his sharp finishing, has been one of the most prolific strikers in the history of Indian Football and will be looking to better his record in the next I-League campaign.
#2 Jose Ramirez Barreto - Brazil
A name that will bring a smile to the faces of Mohun Bagan fans, Jose Barreto is one of the greatest players to grace Indian football and also one of the most adored. He started out as a striker, but slowly developed into a playmaking attacking midfielder. He joined Mohun Bagan in 1999 and was instrumental as the Mariners won the National Football League (NFL) title in his very first season.
He finished top scorer in the league next season, as his club narrowly missed out on the title. He stayed at Mohun Bagan for a total of five years in his first spell and was the club’s best player on a consistent basis. He moved to Malaysia’s Penang FA after a disagreement with the Bagan authorities. In his two seasons there, he lit up the league and was made the captain of the team after his brilliant showings.
However, he became frustrated as the club failed to win a single trophy in those two years, due to which he returned to India and signed for Mahindra United in 2005, where he scored 25 goals in 36 matches and won the league and Federation Cup double.
He signed for Mohun Bagan for a record fee and played in the green and maroon jersey till his retirement and over this period, sealed his status as one of the greatest players to play for the club. He was Bagan’s talisman and often bailed them out of tight situations, with a killer through pass or a sublime finish. He has scored 200 goals for the Mariners and is the only player to do so for a single club in the history of Indian football.
What probably earns him a God-like status at Bagan fans is his record against their arch rivals East Bengal, as Barreto scored 16 goals against them in the derby. His unassuming and humble nature makes him a role model for fans and players alike.
#1 Ranti Martins - Nigeria
From 2004-05 to 2011-12, Dempo SC won five league titles, along with one Federation Cup and Durand Cup each in 2004 and 2006 respectively and reached the semifinals of the AFC Cup in 2008. They swept their opponents off the pitch with their fluid passing game and completely dominated Indian football.
Leading the charge was Nigerian forward Ranti Martins, who scored an incredible 146 goals in 164 league games for the club, scoring a record 32 goals in the league during the 2011-12 season, which was also Dempo’s last league title. His displays for the team were truly amazing and such were his performances, that he was monitored by the Nigerian national team and was expected to receive a call-up, which he unfortunately never did.
After the mining scam that rocked Dempo, Martins was sold to United SC for a record Rs 1.8 crore fee, and he scored 26 goals in the league campaign, and finished as the top scorer and was named the ‘Best Player of the I-League’. He joined East Bengal in April 2014 on a two-year deal.
His club finished 4th as Ranti picked up yet another Golden Boot award with 17 goals in the league, five of which he scored in a single league game against his former club Dempo. Ranti tops our list of the best foreign imports because of his unmatched goalscoring record of 202 goals in just 228 games. He is known for his sharp movement and darting runs and his supreme ability to find space in the penalty box, which has enabled him to become the most prolific goalscorer in Indian league football history.
He has been the league top scorer a record five times, and is the only player to score a double-hattrick in an I-League game, as he scored six goals in a single game in the 14-0 thumping of Air India by Dempo. From an unknown 18-year old signing for Dempo, to the most prolific goal-scorer in Indian football, Ranti has proved his quality time and again, and will look for his sixth Golden Boot in the upcoming 2015-16 season !
