The Indian Super League (ISL) has been the ultimate stage for the upsurge of Indian footballers over the past decade. From marking their presence as unfamiliar faces to making their way to the senior national team and donning the blue jersey on the international stage, the league has developed numerous Indian players since its inception.

Since 2014, the league has produced names like Sandesh Jhingan and Sahal Abdul Samad. As the ISL continues to prosper, it has contributed to the growth of Indian football and formed the foundation to build a shining future.

Not only the words but also the numbers show that the appreciable growth of Indian footballers continues to enhance as the league progresses. In the opening season, the Indians had only a 29.38% goal contribution, whereas it increased to 43.21% in the tenth season.

The Indian forwards, who are mostly overshadowed by their high-profile overseas counterparts in their team squads, prove their worth with time, as they have been seen finding the back of the net with ease and contributing to the team’s success equally to the foreigners and the latest ISL season witnessed Indian footballers having 264 out of 611 goal contributions throughout the season, which decreased the foreigners’ goal involvement (56.79%) to the lowest in league history.

Season Goal Contributions By Indians By Overseas % by Indians % by Overseas
2014 211 62 149 29.38% 70.62%
2015 303 83 220 27.39% 72.61%
2016 238 59 179 24.79% 75.21%
2017-2018 424 149 275 35.14% 64.86%
2018-2019 416 161 255 38.70% 61.30%
2019-2020 478 152 326 31.80% 68.20%
2020-2021 482 157 325 32.57% 67.43%
2021-2022 563 227 336 40.32% 59.68%
2022-2023 571 237 334 41.51% 58.49%
2023-2024 611 264 347 43.21% 56.79%

From Mumbai City FC winger Lallianzuala Chhangte, who netted the most goals by an Indian (10) to Manvir Singh, the top assist provider (7) by an Indian, numerous Indian players played pivotal roles in their team’s overall success in the ISL 2023–24 season. Furthermore, the homegrown talents have been creative and effective, proving to be vital for their teams.

This is the first time in ISL history that three different Indian players—Lallianzuala Chhangte, Vikram Partap Singh, and Manvir Singh—have each achieved 10+ goal contributions in a single season.

No example shines brighter than that of Brandon Fernandes, who played for FC Goa and was the highest chance creator (60) in the league alongside Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s Dimitri Petratos.

These numbers bode well for the future of Indian football. With Indian talents stepping up and making a name for themselves, the sky is just the limit.

Related tags:

2023-2024