Top 10 Players to watch out for in I-League 2017

by Shaon Roy January 7, 2017

Unlike ISL teams , the I-League teams are only allowed to have a total of only four foreigners in their squad, of which one has to be of Asian origin and the rest of the 7 spots in the Team has to be filled by Indian lads.

Though the I-league is scheduled to start very soon but still many teams are yet to sign their full quota of four foreign players. Mohun Bagan and DSK Shivajians being the only exception. While Mumbai FC takes the road less travelled, they will start their campaign with a full Indian squad. They have not signed up a single foreigner this time around. The last club to do such was Mohun Bagan.
Financially , there is a big gap between I-League and ISL .Therefore, expecting world renowned foreign players would be a foolish thing to do. But still in such a limited budget I-league teams managed to rope in some quality foreigners. Less number of foreigners means that our desi footballers will be getting more chances which is a good thing for Indian football.

So here we bring you some combination of Indian and foreign players who are most likely to make a mark on I-League 2017:

• 1. Sony Norde : Ever since this Haitian International player joined Mohun Bagan, he has been wreaking havoc against opponents in the I-League. Already 23 international matches under his belt for Haiti Football Team he comes with lots of experience.

• 2.Cameron Watson : This Australian defender played a very important part in Bengaluru FC’s run in the 2016 AFC Cup tournament where BFC finished as a runner-up. He has represented both Australian U-17 and U-20 teams. He started his senior career with Dutch heavyweight team VVV-Venlo and then went on to represent Melbourne Knights, Adelaide United and NewCastle Jets before joining Bengaluru FC in 2016.

• 3.Eduardo Ferreira : Mohun Bagan recently signed up this Equatorial Guinea International Player whose last club was Pune City FC in the ISL3. He has also represented South African top division team Ajax Cape Town.

• 4.Ivan Bukenya : This Uganda defender is East bengal’s latest acquisition. He has represented his national team for eight times since 2010. From 2013-2016 he was integral part of Kaizer Cheifs which is one of the most popular team from South Africa.

• 5.Juanan : This Centre-Back was a part of Real Madrid B team from 2009-2011 and will form a formidable patnership with John Johnson at the Centre of the defence for Bengaluru FC. He has played 34 matches for the German team Fortuna Dusseldorf from 2011-2013.

• 6.Sunil Chettri: Unless , you are living under a rock , you would know what this man is capable of doing on the football field. Last year, at the AFC Cup Semi-final 2nd-Leg, this man single-handedly took BengaluruFC to the Final with his two unthinkable goals against JDT Malaysia. Believe this or not, after those goals some guy on twitter started petitioning to UNESCO to induct Sunil’s second long ranger goal as the 8th wonder of the World. Yes, this happened. The Indian captain will most certainly be a valuable member of the team for yet another year and is most likely do anything in his capablity to win his 3rd I-league medal with Bengaluru FC.

• 7.Jerry Lalrinzuala: He will be playing for DSK Shivajians this season. From every football pundit in the country to the National team coach , everyone will keep an eye on the progress of this 18 year old Mizoram left back. He burst onto the Indian Football scenario with Chennaiyin FC in the ISL and was one of the few players to play more than 10 games for them , this season. Thanks to his wondrous display in the recntly concluded ISL , he bagged the ISL Emerging award of the season. This AIFF Elite Academy product also had a training stint with FC Metz of France.

• 8.Vinit Rai: Vinit is one of the many Indian U19 players who has signed up with the I-League new comer Minerva this season. Vinit started his youth career with TATA Football Academy and then at the age of 16 moved to Dempo and came on as a substitute for them against East Bengal on 1st march 2015 after spending some times with their Youth set-up.The biggest momment of his career came when he signed up for Kerala Blaster in the ISL-3. He made his debut for them on the very first match of the ISL.

• 9.Kean Lewis: Both Kean Lewis and Souvik were an integral part for Delhi Dynamos , this season. Fortunately , both of them will turn up for Mohun Bagan in the I-League as well. Lewis started his career with PIFA and then at the age of 14 he was invited by Leicester City for a trial with their academy. Before moving to USA to play for Fairleigh DK he was a part of TATA Football academy. Afterwards he moved to Houston to complete his studies where he was part of the Houston Dynamos’s U23 set-up. In case you are wondering , then yes Houston do play in the Major League Soccer. Then in 2015 he signed for Mohun Bagan. During AFC Championship game against China’s Shandong Luneng he dribbled past two-three players and took a shot at the goal but unfortunately it hit the goalpost. That momment of magic from him was enough for us to know the talent this 24 year old possess.

• 10.Mandar Rao Desai: Mandar is a youth product of Dempo SC and soon after his first season he became an household name in Goa. I-League faithfuls know what menace can this pacy winger cause. He alongwith Sunil and Udanta is enough to destroy the best of the best defences of any I-League Team. Mandar captained Goa-India during the 2014 Lusophony game which we won defeating the Mozambique team in the Final.

I-League clubs may not be managed by big corporate houses or multi billionaires but is fueled by the love,passion and support of the masses.
All in all , I-league 2016-17 is going to be one exciting affair. Though , the league lacks a bit of glamour and attraction , it makes it up through the enthusiasm ,vehemence and zeal of a very limited number of fans and supporters. The Quality of the I-league team supporters is something we must be really proud of despite the quantity which is rising and yet to soar.
I-League is schedule to start from 7th January and since Ten Network has the broadcasting right, therefore, it is going to telecast 75 out of the 90 matches and the rest of the matches will be streamed live on their website.

The I-League opener between Aizawl and East Bengal is scheduled to start from 4:30 PM.

Let the game begin !