Season of youngsters and striking partnerships

FC Goa’s Manvir Singh, Jeakson Singh, Mohammad Rakip (Kerala Blasters) Redeem Tlang (NorthEast United FC), Shubham Sarangi (Odisha FC) are few other examples of youngsters catching the eye. The foreign imports, too, have been of high quality with several of them striking up partnerships that have illuminated the ISL.

Roy Krishna and David Williams have been absolutely brilliant for one of the finalists, ATK. The Fiji-Aussie combo has fired when ATK needed them, most recently in the play-offs against Bengaluru FC where Krishna scored one and Williams struck two. Krishna has contributed 15 goals and five assists while Williams has seven goals and four assists to his name. “It is good for us to have top strikers like Krishna and Williams. They are in good form and that is a big advantage for us,” said ATK coach Antonio Habas.

Then there is Rafael Crivellaro and Nerijus Valskis for the other finalists, Chennaiyin FC. The duo was instrumental in their dream run to the final. While Valskis has 14 goals and six assists, Crivellaro has seven goals and eight assists.

Who can forget Hugo Boumous (11 goals, 10 assists) and Ferran Corominas (14 goals, 4 assists)? Their telepathic understanding helped FC Goa top the league stages. The partnership between Bartholomew Ogbeche (15 goals) and Raphael Messi Bouli (8 goals) also produced dividends for Kerala Blasters, although they could not make it to the play-offs.

However, it is not just on-field partnerships that have sparkled. Several key off-field agreements have illustrated the league as well. The City Football Group, who own Manchester City, bought a majority stake in Mumbai City FC, a landmark deal in the progress it would bring to Indian football.

“We believe that this investment will deliver transformative benefits to Mumbai City FC, to City Football Group and to Indian football as a whole. City Football Group is committed to the future of football in India and to the potential for Mumbai City FC within that future,” said Chairman of City Football Group Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

Then ATK joined hands with Mohun Bagan which will see the century-old club ply its trade in the ISL next season. All in all, it has been an exciting and eventful season. All it requires is a fitting finale in Goa on Saturday.

Also Read: Miracle at Kolkata as Williams brace helps ATK stun Bengaluru

For ISL fixtures, League table and goal scorer stats visit: Hero ISL

For Trial related updates: Latest trials updates in Mumbai Football

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