Indian Football is on the rise. Season after season in the Indian Super League, the teams are performing decently well. The standard of the game has also been improving. The other major competitions in the country such as the Santosh Trophy, the I-League, and the local Divisional Football Cups are also helping Indian Football. The country over the years has seen several great players like Sunil Chettri, Bhaichung Bhutia, and PK Banerjee. So, who are the top 5 footballers of our country in 2022? Here is an in-depth look:
**Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is not on the list as he has been the top performer over several years**
1) Liston Colaco is one of the best in Indian Football:
As soon as the ISL 2021 season began Liston Colaco’s name became household. My man was scoring goals at will. ATK Mohun Bagan would be glad to have a player like him. At 23 Liston has already been a part of 3 major Indian clubs. It is because none of the clubs gave him a decent run. It was only ATK Mohun Bagan that gave him game time and a well-defined role. He started playing back in 2016 in Goa. His first professional team was Salgaoncar.
He was also a part of the Goa State team for the Santosh Trophy. He was then drafted by the scouts of the Goa ISL team. This team has co-ownership from Virat Kohli. Liston is now settled at ATK Mohun Bagan. His stronger foot is his right and his ball control is elite. His market value is 2.5 Crore Indian Rupees.
2) Lalengmawia Apuia is one of the best in Indian Football:
Lalengmawia Apuia or Lalengmawia Ralte is one of the top central mid-fielders in the country. He played the 2019 ISL season from the North East United Football Club. This club has ownership by John Abraham. This was his debut season and at the age of 19, he was made captain of that team. He almost led the NUFC team to the playoffs that season. He was then scouted by the management of Mumbai City FC.
Ever since Ralte has become an integral part of the MCFC setup. He was the first player born in the 21st century to lead an ISL side. His game sense is worthy of a mention. Also, he is very agile in the field.
3) Sandesh Jhingan is one of the best in Indian Football:
Sandesh Jhingan has come a very long way from being named the “Young Player of the Season” in the first season of the ISL to leading India at the international level. He had bagged a contract from the Scottish Club at the start of the season. He is also dealing with an injury that has kept him out of action. On his day, each of us knows what Sandesh can do. His partnership along with Gurpreet Singh Sandhu at the back has done wonders for India.
Jhingan has risen through the ranks to find a position for himself. He was a part of the India U-19 setup. He then played for several clubs across the nation. Jhingan was a part of the Kerala Blasters, then moved to DSK Shivajians for a stint, then was drafted to Goa, then to Bengaluru FC, and then against the Kerala Blasters. Sandesh has a five-year contract with ATK Mohun Bagan currently. He is playing for a Croatian Club, Sibenik, and is doing decently well.
4) Vikram Pratap Singh:
Vikram Pratap Singh has also played age-group football and has paved his way to senior football. He has been a part of India U-16, India U-18, and India U-19 teams. He has been in the footballing circuit for a very long time. Vikram started his youth journey at Chandigarh Football Club. From then on he was scouted by Minerva Punjab. He had one good season with them and was drafted to the Indian Arrows for the I-League. Vikram found his place in the Mumbai City FC ISL squad in 2021.
He has become the talk of the town ever since joining the club. He feels safe regarding his place in the team and knows his role well. Vikram was also a part of the team that went for the AFC Champions League in 2022 with the MCFC.
Honorable Mention:
- Jayesh Rane
- Mandar Rao Desai
- Amey Ranawade
- Rahul Bheke
5) Dheeraj Singh:
Dheeraj Singh, India’s first goalkeeper at the global event of the U-17 FIFA World Cup has also made it to this list. Dheeraj has been flying like a bird on the goal. He has dived, caught, and punched the ball very well. The nation has not very often seen such international level keeping as shown by Dheeraj. He has been at the top of his game since the world cup in 2017. He belongs to the batch of Komal Thatal, Amarjeet Singh, and Jeakson Singh.
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