Sportskeeda Indian Football Awards: Top 10 Indian midfielders of 2016

#1 Eugeneson Lyngdoh

Eugeneson Lyngdoh in the first leg of the AFC Cup semifinal, when he scored an absolutely stunning equalizer for Bengaluru FC

Readers’ Ranking – 1

Was there any doubt? The man magician from Meghalaya is our best Indian midfielder of the year. It would not be a stretch to say he was probably the best Indian footballer of the year, as a whole.

Lyngdoh is a man for the big occasion and in 2016, he showed that time and time again. In the I-League clash aganist Salgaocar, he opened the scoring and put in a dominating display as the Blues ensured that the league was wrapped up before they made the visit to Siliguri to face Mohun Bagan.

But Lyngdoh’s finest hour of 2016 came over the two legs of the AFC Cup semifinal. Against Johor Darul Ta’zim in Malaysia, he scored a stunning 30-yarder with his left foot to give Bengaluru a priceless away goal and a draw. At the Kanteerava Stadium, he was in his element again.

His set-pieces were pinpoint on the day. Sunil Chhetri opened the scoring with a header off a Lyngdoh corner and Juanan sealed the win for Bengaluru with another header off the midfielder's cross – this time, a perfectly waited free-kick.

It cannot be argued that Eugeneson Lyngdoh is the best midfielder this county has produced for a long time. One can only hope that there are a few more 2016s left in the tank for the magician.