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What a roller-coaster year it has been for Indian football. With the national team qualifying for the Asian Cup after eight years, many new stories were written on the history books which mark the achievement of Indian football.
The most remarkable among them is the emergence of Real Kashmir FC, being the first team from the valley to appear in I-League.
Many stories were written about the team and they had worldwide coverage, putting Indian football on the map.
The Indian Super League saw Bengaluru FC make it to the final in their debut season. The club, formed only a few years ago, instilled high-level professionalism and success came instantly.
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Minerva Punjab scripted another fairytale in the I-League by winning the I-League title, leaving behind perennial favourites likes East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.
Teams consist of players. Looking at the individual performances, we found some new stars. Also, the old ones gained more experience as India’s football future looks bright more than ever.
Sportskeeda brings you the best XI of the year considering the performance. This will include the foreign players too. The team will play on a 4-4-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
Without any doubt, the Mohali-born is currently the best goalkeeper of the country, considering all talented and Indian foreign players.
Almost all Indian Super League and I-League teams choose Indians when it comes to the last man of defence.
Not all of them are a superstar as Gurpreet. The Bengaluru FC goalie has made a staggering 28 saves in 11 games and has conceded just eight goals, the least among all the ISL teams.
Gurpreet has four clean sheets to his name and has 77.77 saving percentage. On many occasions, when Bengaluru FC didn’t have a great day, Gurpreet saved his team single-handedly.
He has also been prolific with the national team. Against high-profile opponents like China, Gurpreet pulled off some scintillating saves to stop the neighbours from scoring.
With Volleyball and Cricket being his prime attraction in his childhood days, Gurpreet came to football on the insistence of local coaches at Punjab Cricket Academy for his height.
The former East Bengal player sharpened his skills with his stint with Norwegian club Stabaek FC.
After signing for Bengaluru FC, there is no looking back as he has become a valuable part of the team with his performances.
Defenders
Rahul Bheke
You can ask why he is not there with the national side that will be playing Asian Cup next month.
Being the best right-back of the country, Rahul Bheke should have been there. But being the victim of another farce selection policy, Bheke will be watching the national team on TV.
Let alone the Asian Cup, Bheke hasn’t been called in the national team so far. Considering his current, it’s the weirdest decision so far by the national team coach. Perhaps that will make Bheke hungrier for success.
Bheke has stamped his name on the Bengaluru FC team this year. After honing his skills with East Bengal and two brief stints with ISL clubs Kerala Blasters FC and FC Pune City, Bheke joined Bengaluru last season and made an instant impact.
More than his defensive duties, he can make good overlaps and can score goals on crucial moments.
John Johnson
After plying his trade with Bengaluru FC for six years, Johnson switched his allegiance to ATK this season for new challenges. Though he struggled to keep things going initially, he is now the most trusted player of the team.
ATK coach Steve Coppell shuffled his centre-backs at the start of the season. Sometimes he played Gerson Viera or sometimes Andre Bikey took the field. But there was no change in one position, that was of Johnson.
Having played every minute for ATK this season, Johnson made defending look so easy. ATK are standing second in terms of conceding the least amount of goals and credit goes to Johnson for that.
Standing tall at the heart of the defence, Johnson made 90 clearances for ATK.
Before the switchover, he also played a crucial part for Bengaluru, helping the team to reach ISL final and won Super Cup title.
Lucian Goian
Mumbai City FC are in the second in the ISL table. One of reasons for their success is their solid defending, led by veteran Romanian Lucian Goian.
A few days ago, Mumbai City FC held Bengaluru FC 1-1 even after going down to 10-men. The player who kept the Bengaluru players quiet was Goian.
He rescued Mumbai on many occasions. His height, technical ability and experience make him one of the easy choices for this team.
Arijit Bagui
One of the two I-League to make their way into this squad, Arijit Bagui had a fabulous year in terms of his performance. Replacing Abhishek Das as a right-back, he has earned the trust from coach Sankarlal Chakroborty.
It is never easy to score goals avoiding the pint-sized defender. Bagui has the ability to make good tackles and has the pace to outrun his opponent.
His crosses are lethal and so far, Bagui provided plenty of crosses which were converted to goals. His crossed are pin-point and can avoid his marker too.
Midfielders
Michael Soosairaj
After his eye-catching performances with I-League club Chennai City FC, Michael Soosairaj caught the attention of ISL franchises and finally, Jamshedpur FC roped in the left-winger at the start of the season.
In Chennai City FC, Soosairaj often created trouble for his opponents with his run down the line. He could edge past the opponents easily and provided delightful crosses. He even scored goals by using the gap between defenders.
At Jamshedpur too, he is doing the same. But now he is getting more attention. ISL has more tough defenders comparing to the I-League but Soosairaj turned them ordinary with his skills. He scored three goals so far, including a brace against FC Goa. But he is someone who loves to create chances for himself rather than scoring goals for himself.
He was another one to be ignored by Stephen Constantine in the national team.
Manuel Lanzarote
After a super stint with FC Goa, Manuel Lanzarote fell out with the coach. In a bitter Instagram post, he wrote he will not work with Sergio Lobera anymore. Sensing the opportunity, ATK signed the veteran midfielder for this season.
The journey has been fruitful though. Lanzarote has a good relationship with coach Steve Coppell and has been deployed in a more suitable role this time. He plays as a central defender but can double up as a winger too.
Despite being the in a more free role with his new club, Lanzarote has not found the back of the net so many times. But it doesn’t take away his efforts on the field as he is a true leader of a team.
Nestor Gordillo
Being a product of excellent scouting by Chennai City FC, Nestor Gordillo took the I-League by storm this season.
He started making an impact from the very first match, when he combined well with Pedro Manzi and provided assists to him in making up his hat-trick.
Gordillo works hard on the field. Playing as a central midfielder, he can roam on the field and tries to create a chance whenever and wherever he gets the ball. His understanding with the players is laudable and certainly provides an added boost to the team.
It was his attacking mentality that makes the only foreigner from I-League to take his place in this team.
Raphael Augusto
The veteran player has been a part of Chennaiyin FC’s team for the last four seasons. After helping his side win their first title 2015, Augusto played brilliantly on an otherwise dismal campaign for his team in 2016.
The Brazilian found his rhythm back as he helped the team win their second title this year. His combination with Jeje throughout the season has helped Chennaiyin immensely. Apart from scoring three times, he provided one assist.
Chennaiyin FC have been witnessing another dismal season this time around and but Augusto maintained his rhythm, scoring two and assisting one.
Forwards
Sunil Chhetri (Captain)
The team will not be complete without this man. With each passing day, Chhetri is ageing like fine wine. He never goes out of form. Whenever you need him, he will come up and do his duty.
After spending a stellar season with Bengaluru FC, during which the club reached the final where he scored, Chhetri is carrying the same form this season too.
The only Indian in the top scorers' list, Chhetri already has five goals to his name. His combination with Miku is reaping rich dividends.
The impact he lefts on the field is mesmerizing. Being a leader of the team, he always encourages his teammates, be it at club or national level. He leads by example.
Chhetri has scored eight goals for the national team this year and is level with Lionel Messi in the active goal-scorers list.
Ferran Corominas
Ferran Corominas just loves to score goals. Perhaps there is nothing in this that can make him other than goals. The season may have changed, but Corominas’ form remains the same. The Spanish player, who scored 17 goals in the ISL season 4, has already scored 10 this time.
His consistency makes him a nightmare for the defenders. He is a man who leads from the front and never wastes a single opportunity, even if it is half chance.
The attacking mentality of the coach also helped his cause. No defender has found a way to stop this Spaniard as Corominas made goal-scoring looks so easy.
