Placeholder canvas

Soccer Stars To Shine in India

Date:

Indian football is on the threshold of a makeover. Following the likes of the Indian Premier League, Indian Badminton League, Indian Hockey League and the Pro Kabaddi League, all successful in their own rights, Indian football has decided to take the big leap of faith, with 8 teams jumping in to fight it out for the ultimate prize — the Indian Super League trophy. Kickstarting on October 12, 2014, this will be one of the longest tourneys Indian soccer has ever witnessed. It’ll go on till December 20, 2014, when the curtains come down on this epic event. With stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan upping the tempo and glam quotient, the ladies for sure will take some special interest! Here’s a look at who are the players who are expected to make an impact, team-wise.

Atlético de Kolkata

Luis Garcia: This Spanish left winger is their marquee player. With over 100 senior goals and appearances for both the Spanish and Catalan national side, he becomes one of tehir best players.

Climax Lawrence:  On Loan from Mumbai, this Goan player has been a part of the Indian national team from 2002-12. With his experience of playing the top national and international players and 24 club level and 2 national level goals, he’s definitely an asset for Kolkata.

Mohammed Rafi: This 2009-10 I-League player of the year from Kerala, also a part of the national team is a forward. He has three goals to his credit.

Josemi: José Miguel González Rey, or Josemi as we know him as, has a staggering number of appearing in 178 La Liga encounters. This Spanish defender also played for Liverpool.

Delhi Dynamos FC

Shouvik Ghosh: This Mohun Bagan defender has played for both the Indian U-19 and U-23 teams, scoring 5 goals.

Henrique Dinis: He is a Portuguese midfielder, who has been playing for the Portugal national side (U16-U21) since 2005, scoring as many as 28 goals.  

Steven Dias: He is a Mumbai winger, who’s known for his aggression in play. Having been a part of the Indian national side, he’s scored 7 goals in his 51 appearances.

Wim Raymaekers: Belgian defender Raymaekers has been playing senior level cricket since 2005 and has scored 6 goals overall.

Alessandro del Piero: He’s their marquee player. This Italian veteran defender is the one who can be the game changer for the Delhi side. With a bagful of experiences, he features second on the list of the top Italian scorers of all time. With 345 goals to his credit, need we say more?

Kerala Blasters FC

Nirmal Chettri: Playing as a centre back, this lad from Sikkim, he has been playing for the senior national team since 2011 and has 19 goals to his credit.

Michael Chopra: Indian origin striker Michael Chopra has been a part of the English national side since 1997. This retired player brings in loads of experience, especially after his long stint with Newcastle United. He has 32 international goals to his name.  

David James: He’s their marquee player. David Benjamin James is an English goalkeeper, who was a part of the English national side from 1997 – 2010, with 53 appearances.

Mumbai City FC

Subrata Paul: Ranked India’s No 1 goalkeeper, Paul has been a part of the Indian national side since 2007.

André Preto: This Portuguese goalkeeper has been part of the national side (U16-U21) since 1998.

Manuel Friedrich: This experienced German centre back brings is abundance of knowledge into the Mumbai Team. His senior career spanning over more than a decade, coupled with two years in the German national side makes him a great buy.

Freddie Ljungberg: This Swedish Winger is the marquee player of the Mumbai side. With 88 senior career goals and 14 international level senior team goals over 10 years, he’s their trump card.

NorthEast United FC

Joan Capdevila: He’s their marquee player. This Spanish left back is one of the best buys of the Northeast team. With as many as 42 senior career goals and 4 goals for the Spanish national side from 2002-2011 and 1 for Catalonia, the rest of the teams need to be careful.

Alexandros Tzovras: This Greek goalie has had a great career to prove that he’s worth a buy. Playing since 2001, he’s had a great senior level career, and he’s also been a part of the Greek national side since 2008.

FC Pune City

David Trezeguet: He is their marquee player. And the reasons behind it are a plenty. With a senior career spanning over 2 decades, he’s scored over 225 goals and his international career, over 71 appearances, has had him score 34 goals.

Andrés González: This Colombian centre back started his career in 2003 and has 10 goals to his credit. He’s also been a part of the national side, making 11 appearances.

Lenny Rodrigues: This Indian midfielder is sure to sparkle in the midst of so many stars, given his potential and determination. He’s been playing senior level football since 2010 with 5 goals, with 19 appearances in the Indian national side as well.

Joaquim Abranches: This Goan winger has the experience of playing for Dempo and East Bengal, and has also been a part of the Indian national squad since 2011, making 13 appearances and scoring 1 goal.

FC Goa

Jewel Raja: This Bengali central midfielder started his career with Dempo, moved places and came back to his same old team. He’s scored 6 goals in his senior career and 3 for the national side over 20 appearances.

Clifford Miranda: Another Goan left winger, who currently plays for Dempo has scored 6 international goals over his 43 appearances since 2005.

Grégory Arnolin: France’s own Gregory has been in this business since 1991, when he started playing senior level football for Paris SG B. With 65 senior level goals to his credit, he can surely whip up some magic for the Goan side.

Robert Pires: French Winger Pires would be one of Goa’s prized possessions. With 126 senior level goals and 14 international goals, the case can be rested!

Club Chennai

Bernard Mendy: This French wingback/midfielder is the highest priced international player in the draft. With several honours to his name, he has been playing senior level football since 1998, with 8 goals. He’s also made some appearances for the national side.

Jeje Lalpekhlua: This forward from Mizoram has 34 senior level goals to his credit. He has also made 22 appearances for the Indian national team, scoring 8 goals.

Eduardo Silva: Dudu, as he is more popularly known as, is a Brazilian forward, who’s scored 103 senior level and 29 international goals for Croatia.

 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe

Popular

More like this
Related

Orry Faces Backlash After Declining Handshake At Event

Internet sensation Orry, famed for his wild antics and...

From Deepfake Concerns To India’s AI Mission PM Modi Interacts With Bill Gates

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged in a...

NewsMobile Morning Brief

Actor Govinda Joins Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena Ahead Of...

Gangster-Turned-Politician Mukhtar Ansari Dies Of Cardiac Arrest

Banda: Gangster turned politician Mukhtar Ansari passed away at...