As the 2020-21 season of the Indian Super League (ISL) inches closer, we look at five names to watch out for, the players that can light up the season, the kind of talents that get pants off seats (or, in the case of this season, keep eyeballs glued to screens).
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Read: ISL 2020-21: Strength, weakness, key players and what to expect from each team
Here are the five players we think will contend for MVP of this season:
Hugo Boumous
Who is he?
Attacking midfielder/left winger, Mumbai City FC, French-Moroccan.
What is his USP?
His directness. Rapid, and balanced, with the ball at his feet he plays with his head up -- giving him options (pass, shoot, continue dribbling) that not many have while running at players.
What did he do last season?
Lit the ISL on fire. Boumous had 11 goals and 10 assists in just 14 games -- he either assisted a goal or scored one every 56 minutes. Every 56 minutes!
Why is he the man?
Did you read those stats? Boumous ripped through defences for fun last season for league stage champions FC Goa, and was easily the best player in the league. At only 25 years old, he's just hitting his peak. This season, he reunites with the man who brought him to India, Sergio Lobera, and if the two start off like they did last season, Boumous will take some stopping.
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Sunil Chhetri
Who is he?
Left forward/support striker/striker, Bengaluru FC, Indian. You know this, of course.
What is his USP?
His 100% all-out-ness. We've discussed this before.
What did he do last season?
Unusually, not much. He scored just nine goals in 17 matches, but that's close to half of the 22 goals his team scored overall in 18 league stage matches.
Why is he the man?
He may be 36, he may have had a quiet, minor-injury-hit season, but he's still Chhetri -- avowed hater-of-losing, holder-of-grudges, incessant seeker-of-redemption. He will be seething at his and his team's performances and lack of tangible success last season (the first year BFC have gone without a trophy), and will be hell bent on wresting that trophy back.
- From sliding in mud to towering headers: Chhetri's 15 best moments for India
- Decoding Sunil Chhetri: Will, perseverance and warrior's resolve
Roy Krishna
Who is he?
Striker, ATK Mohun Bagan, Fijian.
What is his USP?
Arguably the league's best pure finisher. Comes with the added ability of being able to pull wide or drop deeper as the tactical situation demands, while being just as effective.
What did he do last season?
Krishna was the joint top-scorer of ISL last season, with 14 goals. And six assists. He was also the best player in the team that won the ISL playoffs comfortably.
Why is he the man?
Krishna is in the form of his life. He joined the ISL last year after being crowned MVP in the A-League the season before (and winning the golden boot) and as the numbers show, he hit the ground running. With ATK Mohun Bagan having one of the few settled, consistent squads in the league, there's not much standing in the way of another repeat act.
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Adam Le Fondre
Who is he?
Striker, Mumbai City FC, English.
What is his USP?
Penalty-box predator supreme. Intelligent off-the-ball movement gives him the uncanny ability to find space in areas where there shouldn't be any.
What did he do last season?
Scored 22 goals in 30 games for Sydney FC in the A-League (league + playoffs) and the AFC Champions League.
Why is he the man? Okay, we are going with Mumbai twice, but we could have filled this list with just MCFC players and have gotten away with it. Le Fondre is the most impressive of a whole host of A-listers to arrive on these shores this season (especially from the A-League) and comes into the ISL on the back of two excellent scoring seasons in Australia. With the kind of talent behind him (think Boumous and Ahmed Jahouh especially), that golden boot could be his for the taking.
Why is he the man?
Ok, we are going with Mumbai twice, but we could have filled this list with just MCFC players and have gotten away with it. Le Fondre is the most impressive of a whole host of A-listers to arrive on these shores this season (especially from the A-League) and comes into the ISL on the back of two excellent scoring seasons in Australia. With the kind of talent behind him (think Boumous and Ahmed Jahouh especially), that golden boot could be his for the taking.
- From Roy Krishna to Adam Le Fondre: Why A-League's A-listers are moving to the ISL
Sahal Abdul Samad
Who is he?
Attacking midfielder, Kerala Blasters, Indian.
What is his USP?
Vision. Few players in the league see a pass quite like him, and fewer still play better on the half-turn. A throwback trequartista when he's in the mood.
What did he do last season?
Nothing. Started only half the games. Lasted the full 90 only twice. Had two assists, and scored no goals.
Why is he the man?
Okay, this is a proper left-field pick -- from way out there given his last season -- but hear us out. Off the field, he has, in Kibu Vicuna, a coach who found success in India while coaxing the best out of the young Indian talent he had. On the field, he has the defensive acumen and passing reliability of Vicente Gomez behind him and the goal-plundering skill of Gary Hooper in front of him. The conditions are perfect for one of Indian football's proper talents to unlock his undoubted potential.
- Sahal Abdul Samad, the desert wanderer who dances on grass
Also read:
- FC Goa and RB Leipzig's 'strategic partnership': All you need to know
- Robbie Fowler wants East Bengal to 'play the right way and get good results' in ISL
- New Odisha FC coach Stuart Baxter hopes to emulate South African success in ISL