Top five players with most goals for a single team in ISL
These players have firmly established themselves as all-time greats at their clubs.
Football is a game of eleven players. Each player has a different role to perform on the pitch. When each role is performed to perfection, a positive result is attained.
Goalkeeping, defence, midfield and attack are what make a football team function well. Clean sheets, ground duels, number of passes, are all important metrics in football. The teams that dominate these metrics dominate the match, however, the thing that matters the most on the pitch is scoring goals.
Regardless of how dominant a team is, if the goals do not come, all of the good work turns to nothing, however, a team that prioritises scoring over anything else, and scores goals regardless of the way they play, that goal turns every mistake, missed pass into something that can be forgotten.
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Goals are the most important element in football. Over the years, the Indian Super League (ISL) has brought to the forefront many strikers of high quality. These strikers brought with them thunderous goals and high-quality playing styles that propelled their teams to high positions in the league.
On that note, let's take a look at the top five players with the most goals scored for a single club In India.
1. Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC): 57 goals
The 40-year-old occupies the top spot on the list with 57 goals for Bengaluru FC in the ISL. He has consistently been one of the top-performing players for the Blues. He has been with the club since its inception in 2013 and has been the heartbeat of the team ever since. He scored his first goal for the team in the ISL during the 2019-20 season, netting 9 goals in 17 appearances. He was in the race for the Golden Boot and is the highest-scoring Indian in the league's history. He has also scored in ten out of the eleven ISL seasons and in every season he has been part of Bengaluru FC in the ISL.
2. Coro (FC Goa): 48 goals
The Spaniard scored 48 goals for FC Goa in three seasons with the club. He joined FC Goa in the 2017-18 season and won the Golden Boot, scoring a league-high 18 goals in 20 appearances. The following season, he netted 16 goals in 20 appearances and won the Golden Boot again. He played one more season for the club, scoring 14 goals in 17 appearances before leaving at the end of that season. Known for his ability to score from almost every angle on the pitch, he also netted several headed goals. His consistent performances were key to FC Goa winning the League Winners' Shield in the 2019-20 season.
3. Bartholomew Ogbeche (Hyderabad FC): 28 goals
The Nigerian striker scored 28 goals for Hyderabad FC in two seasons with the club. He joined Hyderabad FC ahead of the 2021-22 ISL season and scored 18 goals in 20 appearances, winning the Golden Boot that season. The following season, he netted 10 goals in 21 appearances. His special trait was his unpredictability in scoring; he could find the back of the net from anywhere inside the box, even when he wasn't playing at his best, as he had the ability to come alive at any moment.
Before joining Hyderabad FC, he was already an established player in the league. He scored 12 goals in 18 appearances during his first season in the ISL with NorthEast United FC. The following season, he joined Kerala Blasters FC and scored 15 goals in 16 appearances. Though he had a slightly underwhelming season in 2020, managing just 8 goals in 23 appearances, he returned to form the next season with Hyderabad FC.
He played a key role in helping the Yellow and Blacks win the ISL Cup in 2021-22.
4. Diego Mauricio (Odisha FC): 25 goals
The Brazilian scored 25 goals for Odisha FC in two seasons with the club across two different spells. He joined the club during the 2020-21 season and quickly became one of the fan favourites. He scored 12 goals in 20 appearances for the club and finished third in the Golden Boot race. His physical prowess was his major strength which was further helped by his elite technical quality. He was the shining star in an otherwise underperforming Odisha FC side that season. He left the club the following season and returned in the 2022-23 season. He won the Golden Boot that season with 12 goals in 21 appearances that season and cemented his status as one of the top strikers in the league.
5. Bipin Singh (Mumbai City FC) - 24 goals
Bipin Singh has been a vital figure for Mumbai City FC, amassing 24 goals so far with the club in the league. He joined the Islanders in August 2018 and netted his first goal for the club during the 2019-20 ISL season on February 12, 2020, in a 5–2 defeat against FC Goa. Singh played a pivotal role in Mumbai City FC's historic 2020-21 season, scoring six goals, including a hat-trick against Odisha and the match-winning goal in the ISL final against Mohun Bagan Super Giant, as the club claimed both the ISL Winners' Shield and League title for the first time. He scored four goals in 22 appearances last season, including a goal in the Cup final against the Mariners.
