Indian Super League: NorthEast United all time XI

And here's how they line up....

For all his antics on the touch-line, Eelco Schattorie stands apart as the best manager NorthEast United ever had. The Dutch manager almost succeeded in turning a Mini Cooper into a Ferrari in the 2018-19 when he led an underdog side to the play-offs before being knocked out by eventual champions Bengaluru.

The only other coach who can possibly come close to Schattorie might be Cesar Farias who missed out on play-off qualification by a whisker.

He came, he saw, he conquered. Ogbeche scored 12 goals in the 2018-19 season and almost single-handedly kept the goal-tally ticking with his incredible finishing. He completed a transfer to Kerala Blasters the following season and netted 15 in yellow whereas the Highlanders have struggled to score since he left.

The 29-year-old Argentine foward played two seasons with NorthEast United where he firmly established himself as a fan favourite. Though his exploits could not propel the team into the play-offs, he was a player the fans adored.

Over the two seasons, he made 25 appearances and scored eight goals for the Highlanders.

Lalthathanga Khawlhring or Puitea completes the extremely talented attacking midfield. The 22-year-old played every game in the 2018-19 season and was an integral part of one of the best midfields in the league at that point.

Last season, he struggled with injuries and could not make a desired impact.

Another key player from NorthEast United's best season in the ISL, Federico Gallego was brutal in attacking midfield, working closely with Bartholomew Ogbeche. He managed four goals and five assists in his first season at the club. However, injuries kept him on the sidelines for longer than he would have preferred in the second season where his impact was limited.

The talented winger from Meghalaya makes it into the list. Tlang's best moment at the club arrived when he scored the opening goal against Bengaluru FC in the first leg of the play-offs of the 2018-19 season. He then went on to score three goals in a season where the HIglanders struggled to find the back of the net and managed just 14 goals in 18 games.

Ivory Coast international and former Sevilla midfielder Romaric joins Borges in the double pivot. The pair played together in 2016 but unfortunately, Romaric's time with the Highlanders was limited as he retired after just one season.

Rowllin Borges should be the first name on this list. The midfielder was a fulcrum of the team for four years, peaking during their dream run in the 2018-19 season. He provided good defensive cover and displayed incredible work-rate and was a crucial element in Eelco Schattorie's system.

The dependable left-back played two seasons with the Highlanders, including the 2018-19 season where the team reached the play-offs.

The 31-year-old made nine appearances in his first season with the club before playing a key role in the 2018-19 season, where he made 14 appearances.

He had even skippered the team on occasions.

NorthEast have been doing well in defence in the last couple of seasons. Mislav Komorski was one of the best players in the team in the last two seasons. The 27-year-old did a fair job and hence earns his place on the list to complete a Croatian centre-back pairing.

Reagan Singh has been a part of the club for a long time now. The 29-year-old is dangerous going forward and links well with the winger up front. That he has been a first-choice starter at the right-back position for four years shows that there is not much of a contest in this position as far as this list is concerned.

The Highlanders finished ninth last season in the ISL. But their failure was primarily due to the lack of firepower up front. It's impressive how a team finishing second from the bottom have the sixth-best defensive recod in the league. This is a testament to the series of performances goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury displayed.