The league stage of Hero Indian Super League 2016 has come to a close, and throughout this phase there have been some eye-catching, standout performances from certain players. These footballers have been a cut above the rest, and all eyes will be on them in the the semi-finals. Here indiansuperleague.com takes a look at the top five such players, who have the highest ratings and are indispensable for their teams.Marcelinho (Delhi Dynamos FC, Ratings 8.69)Delhi Dynamos FC’s talismanic forward has been an obvious standout. With nine goals and five assists, he has been in a league of his own. He garnered a perfect 10 for his fine away performance away against Chennaiyin FC in Delhi’s first match of the campaign. He bagged a brace as the Lions won the match 3-1. He again scored a maximum 10 points in Delhi’s home game against FC Goa, a match where he scored a hat-trick in the blink of an eye. Without any doubt, the Brazilian is the man to look out for when Delhi take the field against Kerala Blasters FC in the semi-finals.Highlight: His hat-trick, making him the first ever Dynamos player to notch up one.Javi Lara (Atlético de Kolkata, Ratings 8.28)Javi Lara has been the main player pulling the strings for ATK from the middle of the park. The Spaniard has created a number of chances for his team, patiently helping in building up moves and providing clinical passes. Furthermore, he has succeeded in hitting the back of the net thrice. He had a highest tally of 9.47 points in his team’s match away to Mumbai, where he scored a peach of an equaliser from outside the penalty box. His services have, to a large extent, helped his team reach the semis for the third successive time and he will be a key figure in the semis against Mumbai City FC.Highlight: His 72nd-minute screamer against Delhi Dynamos FC in the capital city.Florent Malouda (Delhi Dynamos FC, Ratings 8.09)Delhi’s marquee player Florent Malouda has again shown fine form this season. With three goals and five assists, he has been one of the eye-catching performers in the league. The former Chelsea-man has been as clinical in front of goals as he has been while providing important passes. He picked up a maximum 10 points for his performance in Delhi’s 4-1 demolition of Chennai at home, when he bagged a brace and provided two assists.Highlight: His brace against Chennaiyin FC.CK Vineeth (Kerala Blasters FC, Ratings 8.08)Kerala Blasters FC’s midfield maestro CK Vineeth is the only player to have featured in this list after playing just six matches, a statistic which just proves how much of an impact he has made. With five goals, he is the league’s highest Indian scorer as of now. With a high work rate, he has been all over the pitch, passing with accuracy and scoring at will. He notched up 9.7 points for his performance against Chennaiyin FC when he scored twice in the space of four minutes during his team’s 3-1 comeback win at home.Highlight: His crucial 66th-minute winner against NorthEast United FC that cemented his team’s place in the semi-finals.Lucian Goian (Mumbai City FC, Ratings 7.84)Mumbai City FC’s pillar at the back, Lucian Goian is the only defender in the top-22 as far as ratings are concerned. A tough and no-nonsense centre-back, Goian has made sure things are tight at the back and his efforts have paid dividends, with his team having the best defensive record in the league, conceding just eight goals and earning eight clean sheets. He even has a goal to his name and that tells you he could be useful up front too now and then. He picked up 10 points in the match at home to Kerala, where his team trounced the 2014 finalists 5-0.Highlight: His impressive defensive performance coupled with a goal in Mumbai’s home game versus Kerala.
