Sportskeeda's Indian Sportsperson of the Year 2016 – No. 25 to No. 16

#22 Jeje Lalpekhlua

Jeje was named the 2016 AIFF Player of the Year

Jeje Lalpekhlua has had a merengue through the football calendar of 2016. He started the year by helping India lift the SAFF Championship when he scored a goal in the final against Afghanistan and ended the year by winning the 2016 Player of the Year given by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

The striker has been in terrific form this season. He scored five goals in 13 appearances for Mohun Bagan as his side finished 2^nd in the I-League. Jeje then helped Bagan win the Federation Cup, by scoring a brace in the final against Aizawl FC. He top scored in the tournament with eight goals from four matches.

The 25-year-old also scored six goals in seven AFC Cup appearances as Bagan made it to the pre-quarter-finals. He scored a brace for India in the 6-1 win over Laos and yet another goal in the 4-1 win over Puerto Rico. This win helped India climb up to 137^th spot in the FIFA rankings, their highest since 2009.

In the Indian Super League, Jeje scored thrice for his side Chennayin FC, who finished seventh. Nevertheless, his goal scoring spree throughout the year sees him positioned at 22^nd on our list.