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I-League: Top Five Foreigners
As the I-League takes a break after eight rounds due to the two national camps, Goal.com looks at five of the best foreigners so far this season...
19-Nov-2009 11:37:10 PM
The players are not in any particular order
Muritala Ali (Mahindra United)- The Nigerian striker showed a lot of promise last season for Chirag and also managed to score a few important goals in their survival fight. This term for Mahindra he has turned out to be a goal machine having scored eight goals already. He has built up a good understanding with Mohammed Rafi and worryingly for defenders; when he has scored once in a match he has gone on to score more. His first goals of the season came in the 3-2 win over East Bengal where he bagged a match winning brace. His next six came in a gap of five matches. Half of those came against Salgaocar and then with another hat-trick in round eight against Air India, Muri moved up to the top of the scoring charts.
Beto (Dempo)- Beto is once again having a fine season and has easily been Dempo’s best player so far. Like always he has been both been scoring and creating goals as still very few teams have an answer to his samba class. He scored in the first three games and even though he hasn’t scored in the last five, he has still looked in fine form. Beto plays some part or the other in almost every attack of Dempo which clearly shows how heavily the Goan giants depend on him. He has won nearly everything in Indian foootball and doesn’t have to prove much but like for any good player, the hunger for more success is still there in the Brazilian playmaker.
Edeh Chidi (Mohun Bagan)- Chidi made a horrendous start to the I-league as he failed to score in his first four games and looked totally out of sorts. However the big Kolkata derby against arch rivals East Bengal changed his fortunes and possibly his life also as he scored four goals which will forever keep his place in Mohun Bagan's illustrious history. He scored another hat-trick against Pune FC in the last round which has taken him to the top of the scoring charts along with Muritala. Bagan have been missing Barreto for a long time but in terms of goals atleast Chidi hasn’t disappointed.
Ogba Kalu Nnanna (Churchill Brothers)- Odafa Okolie might be the headline maker most of the time but its Kalu who has made a much bigger impact for Churchill so far this season. He holds the whole team together and plays a key role in supporting both the defence and attack. Churchill were struggling after the first five rounds and badly needed a win against Air India in round six. Kalu scored a match winning brace in that game which started his team’s three match winning run and has taken them to the top of the table. He is arguably the most complete midfielder in the I-League and is once again turning out to be indispensable to his team.
Josimar Da Silva (Chirag United)- Josimar failed to make an immediate impact in pre-season and the club were even considering a replacement. But he responded with a brace in the first game against Mohun Bagan and has not looked back since. In total he has scored seven goals so far which makes him the second highest scorer and formed a very good partnership with compatriot Edmilson. Josimar’s goals include three braces but even when he is not scoring, he is either creating chances for his teammates or causing problems to opposition defenders with his height. Josimar has certainly been an important player for Subrata Bhattacharya’s team and the fact that this is his first season in India, makes his good start even more impressive.
Amoy Ghoshal
Muritala Ali (Mahindra United)- The Nigerian striker showed a lot of promise last season for Chirag and also managed to score a few important goals in their survival fight. This term for Mahindra he has turned out to be a goal machine having scored eight goals already. He has built up a good understanding with Mohammed Rafi and worryingly for defenders; when he has scored once in a match he has gone on to score more. His first goals of the season came in the 3-2 win over East Bengal where he bagged a match winning brace. His next six came in a gap of five matches. Half of those came against Salgaocar and then with another hat-trick in round eight against Air India, Muri moved up to the top of the scoring charts.
Beto (Dempo)- Beto is once again having a fine season and has easily been Dempo’s best player so far. Like always he has been both been scoring and creating goals as still very few teams have an answer to his samba class. He scored in the first three games and even though he hasn’t scored in the last five, he has still looked in fine form. Beto plays some part or the other in almost every attack of Dempo which clearly shows how heavily the Goan giants depend on him. He has won nearly everything in Indian foootball and doesn’t have to prove much but like for any good player, the hunger for more success is still there in the Brazilian playmaker.
Edeh Chidi (Mohun Bagan)- Chidi made a horrendous start to the I-league as he failed to score in his first four games and looked totally out of sorts. However the big Kolkata derby against arch rivals East Bengal changed his fortunes and possibly his life also as he scored four goals which will forever keep his place in Mohun Bagan's illustrious history. He scored another hat-trick against Pune FC in the last round which has taken him to the top of the scoring charts along with Muritala. Bagan have been missing Barreto for a long time but in terms of goals atleast Chidi hasn’t disappointed.
Ogba Kalu Nnanna (Churchill Brothers)- Odafa Okolie might be the headline maker most of the time but its Kalu who has made a much bigger impact for Churchill so far this season. He holds the whole team together and plays a key role in supporting both the defence and attack. Churchill were struggling after the first five rounds and badly needed a win against Air India in round six. Kalu scored a match winning brace in that game which started his team’s three match winning run and has taken them to the top of the table. He is arguably the most complete midfielder in the I-League and is once again turning out to be indispensable to his team.
Josimar Da Silva (Chirag United)- Josimar failed to make an immediate impact in pre-season and the club were even considering a replacement. But he responded with a brace in the first game against Mohun Bagan and has not looked back since. In total he has scored seven goals so far which makes him the second highest scorer and formed a very good partnership with compatriot Edmilson. Josimar’s goals include three braces but even when he is not scoring, he is either creating chances for his teammates or causing problems to opposition defenders with his height. Josimar has certainly been an important player for Subrata Bhattacharya’s team and the fact that this is his first season in India, makes his good start even more impressive.
Amoy Ghoshal
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