After the goalkeepers, the defenders and the midfielders, it is now time to look at the top Indian marksmen of 2016 – the men who made themselves prominent in front of goal either scoring them or being directly involved in creating it.
It was a good year in front of goal, at least for the national team as the strikers flourished when they were most needed. Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua in the SAFF Cup final, and Jeje over the two legs of the preliminary Asian Cup qualifier against Laos, which India won 7-1 on aggregate.
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The winner on this list would be rather predictable, but there are some new exciting talents on the list, who could be stalwarts of Indian football in the upcoming years.
The voting by fans
We sent out a poll for fans to vote on which Indian midfielder had the best year, and Sportskeeda experts also weighed in on the matter.
The one with the highest vote received 10 points, and the one with the lowest got 1 point. The scores from Sportskeeda’s list and the Reader’s choice are then added together, with an average score being taken. In the situation of two players tied, Sportskeeda’s ranking takes preference.
Here’s how our readers voted:
Here are the rankings after Sportskeeda experts’ choices were also taken into consideration:
#10 Romeo Fernandes
After the strong ISL that Romeo had in 2015, his form deserted him throughout this year. He did score one goal in the ISL. While playing for his home club, Dempo, in the second division I-League, he didn’t score a single goal as the Goan club won promotion, only for them to pull out along with Salgaocar and Sporting Clube De Goa for the upcoming I-League season.
Romeo was then part of a disappointing season for FC Goa in the ISL, where his best game was in helping Goa to a rare win – against NorthEast United at Fatorda. Romeo scored one and set up the other as the Gaurs ran out 2-1 winners against Nelo Vingada’s side.
He did have some bright games through the course of the season, but much like the entire Goa team, there was something missing – that X-Factor which Romeo was renowned for.
That being said, he is only 24 and has a huge scope for improvement, especially with the kind of potential that he does have. So when he starts off the 2017 I-League with East Bengal, the man from Goa will look to put 2016 behind him and get back to the form that saw him become a superstar in Goa through the course of the 2015 ISL.
#9 Jayesh Rane
The man from Mumbai is another one who flattered to deceive. He truly arrived on the Indian football stage with his performances for Chennaiyin FC in the 2015 ISL, which Marco Materazzi’s men went on to win.
He went on to play for Mumbai FC in the I-League, with the man he considers his mentor – Khalid Jamil. He played through the course of a disappointing season for Mumbai and scored one goal, but his talent was apparent for all to see.
He came back to Chennaiyin and Materazzi kept his faith in him. The Italian had said last year that Jayesh was capable enough of playing in most leagues in Europe with the kind of ability that he possessed.
And it was a bright start as he scored in Chennaiyin’s opening game against Atletico de Kolkata. He was bright in spurts throughout the season, but produced nowhere near the consistency that he showed last season.
Like Romeo, Jayesh has a huge 2017 ahead of him, but the plus side is that he has age on his side.
#8 Mandar Rao Dessai
2016 was a memorable year for Mandar as he flew to Spain for a training period with Villarreal. He spent only two weeks with the Spanish club, but by his own admission, he learned a lot from there – about life both on and off the football pitch.
Like Romeo, he too spent the I-League helping Dempo win promotion and went through the sorrow of the ISL with FC Goa. But he is a man with immense potential.
He is stylish, but he has the stomach for a fight as well; to graft on the pitch. On many occasions in the ISL, Zico played him at left wing-back as Goa played the three-man defense that served them so well last year.
To play in a position like that requires energy, discipline and most importantly, concentration, Mandar did pretty well on all those counts and that will definitely stand him in good stead ahead of the 2017 I-League, for which he has finally made the move away from Goa.
He has joined the champions, Bengaluru FC as they look to build on what has been a stunning year for them, both domestically and internationally. Having players of the caliber of Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Sunil Chhetri will only help take Mandar’s game forward and one can be sure that it is not an opportunity the Goan wants to pass on.
#7 Holicharan Narzary
Over the course of 2016, Narzary became some sort of darling for Stephen Constantine. He was almost ever-present for the national team and it is a huge credit to the young Assamese that he did repay Constantine’s faith in him.
Narzary too played for Dempo before rejoining NorthEast United for the ISL. He played as the central striker for the Goan club, before playing on the wings for the Highlanders. The presence of Emiliano Alfaro meant that Narzary could not be accommodated centrally.
He made 12 appearances for Nelo Vingada in the ISL and largely gave a good account of himself. But it was for the national team that Narzary made the biggest impression. He was a standout player in the SAFF Cup final against Afghanistan. He then helped India win a tough away fixture in Laos in the preliminary qualifier for the Asian Cup and has joined DSK Shivajians for the 2017 I-League.
#6 Daniel Lalhlimpuia
Daniel is touted as the next big thing in Indian football. His manager at Bengaluru FC in the first part of the season, Ashley Westwood has gone on to predict (while he was on a Star Sports show) that he will be the greatest Indian footballer ever.
And he has shown enough signs of that through the course of the year. He scored Bengaluru’s winner in the AFC Cup Round of 16 tie against Kitchee in Hong Kong.
Daniel is in good hands at Bengaluru FC right now too. He is under the wings of Sunil Chhetri and as a young footballer in India right now, nothing can be better.
He showed signs of his immense potential even in the limited period that he was in the ISL with Chennaiyin FC. He missed a large part of the tournament because of Bengaluru’s AFC Cup involvement.
In the games against NorthEast United and FC Goa, he was central to all of Chennaiyin’s attacking play – and the side scored seven goals in those two games combined.
The future is bright and if Westwood’s prophecy does come true, then we are in for some ride with Daniel Lalhlimpuia.
#5 Kean Lewis
The ISL 2016 saw a new star being born. He played for the Delhi Dynamos. Kean Lewis. He ensured that in a side that had the likes of Marcelinho and Florent Malouda, he held his own.
Playing on the left wing, his decision making was what stood out. He knew exactly where to dribble, when to pass the ball, when to press, when to back off. In addition, he also helped the left-back by tracking back tirelessly.
Lewis scored three goals in the ISL. But, his contribution to that Delhi side was much more than just his goals. He was among the best Indian players in the ISL.
After he completed his studies in the USA, he has come back to India and is now eligible to play for the national side. That call-up is not far away if he can keep similar form going in the I-League where he will continue to play for Mohun Bagan.
For Gianluca Zambrotta, Kean Lewis was a breath of fresh air, as he has been for most Indian football watchers. It is not everyday that an indian winger has gone about his business with as much confidence as Lewis has.
His confidence in his dribbling ability will help him wherever he plays, and one can only say that there is a huge amount of potential for Lewis to be the best attacking midfielder this country has.
#4 Mohammad Rafi
In the 35th minute of the ISL final, Rafi had his best moment of the year as he glided Mehtab Hossain’s corner past Debjit Majumder to give Kerala Blasters the lead and send the Kochi crowd to raptures.
Kolkata won that game and sent everyone in Kochi home disappointed, but it could not take away Rafi’s contribution. He is an honest trier and as hard a worker as any in that Kerala side.
Rafi was a part of the best-performing Indian contingent in the ISL and it was a credit to him that inspite of not playing in his preferred position of centre-forward, he was a pivotal player for Kerala.
He played on both wings or behind the striker but the output from Rafi was the same. You knew what you were getting from Rafi. He was going to give it his all, press the opposition defenders and try and involve the other attacking players in the side.
Rafi is not gifted with too much pace or technical ability, but of what he has, he makes the most of. For Mohammad Rafi, it is not about what is said on paper, it is only about the desire that he shows on the pitch.
#3 Jeje Lalpekhlua
Jeje Lalpekhlua was the AIFF footballer of the year, but he would have liked to be a bigger presence in the matches that mattered this year. He was underwhelming when Tampines Rovers beat Mohun Bagan 2-1 in the Round of 16 of the AFC Cup. But that does not take away from an otherwise stunning year for Jeje.
He started the year with a bang as he scored once and assisted Sunil Chhetri’s winner in the SAFF Cup final against Afghanistan. And he carried that form into the I-League
He scored in the early season I-League game against Bengaluru FC at the Kanteerava Stadium, as he helped Bagan to a 2-0 victory. That was one of the four goals that he scored as Bagan ultimately failed in their quest to win the title.
Jeje went on to the ISL with Chennaiyin FC and did what he did for them in the first two seasons of the ISL. He scored three goals and assisted two. But he was injured as the tournament reached the business end and Chennaiyin missed his presence.
For the national team, he scored five goals in the six games that he played this year.
The highlight of his goals this year was his delicate chip for Chennaiyin against FC Pune City that left Edel Bete with absolutely no chance.
#2 CK Vineeth
This was CK Vineeth’s best year in Indian football. He was an important player for every team that he played for.
For both Ashley Westwood and Albert Roca at Bengaluru FC, Vineeth was an integral part of what they wanted to do. Especially after Roca took over in the AFC Cup quarterfinal stage, Vineeth was as important to Bengaluru as Sunil Chhetri or Eugeneson Lyngdoh.
He scored the winner in the first leg of the quarterfinal against Tampines Rovers and played the pass for Chhetri to score his stunning second goal against Johor Darul Ta’zim.
But Vineeth’s biggest impact was for the Kerala Blasters. They were struggling before he arrived, and once he did, what a difference he made! He scored six goals in the ISL as he helped the team from his home state finish second in the league stage and eventually into the final, where they lost to Kolkata.
But Vineeth’s impact cannot be undermined. Despite having all the foreigners that Kerala did, Steve Coppell had to rely on Vineeth’s star turn to save Kerala’s season.
#1 Sunil Chhetri
The Golden Boy of Indian football had another golden year. It was arguably the best year that Chhetri has had. How else can you describe a year when he won the I-League title and finished runner-up in the AFC Cup. And it was not like he was a passenger in the squad.
He was central to everything that Bengaluru FC did in 2016.
That second leg of the AFC Cup semifinal against Johor Darul Ta’zim will stay in the memory of everyone who was the Kanteerava Stadium that day. Chhetri scored the equalizer for Bengaluru as he headed in Lyngdoh’s corner.
But the moment of the night and possibly Indian football’s moment of 2016 was Chhetri’s second goal. It was a spell in which Bengaluru were dominating and they had to make their ascendancy count. And 30 yards from goal, in a seemingly innocuous position, Chhetri conjured up a moment of magic.
He unleashed a curler with his right foot that gave Izam Tarmisi no chance in the Johor goal. That set Bengaluru on their way to winning the tie and making history, becoming the first Indian club to reach a continental final.
Sunil Chhetri had another outstanding year, but honestly, did anyone expect anything else from that man? It is not at all close to blasphemous to call him the greatest Indian footballer of all time.
