Top 5 Best Football Players In ISL History

The 10th edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) is reaching its business end, and half of the teams are done and dusted with their 2023-24 season. The Indian football league has improved a lot in terms of quality over the years since its inception in 2014. It's actually wild when you get to watch the best football players in action in front of the Indian crowd, who rarely get to watch any sport other than cricket. Across the ten editions, the ISL has seen some incredible football players, be it strikers, feature as the highest scorers in the league or goalkeepers who contribute with their scintillating saves. Bartholomew Ogbeche surpassed Sunil Chhetri and Ferran Corominas to become the all-time leading goalscorer in the ISL’s history. In fact, players from India and foreign countries have contributed equally to ISL's success. While some domestic players have become fan favourites in the history of the tournament, some foreign players have also left their mark in entertaining the fans. Here are the top five best football players in ISL history.

5 Best Football Players in ISL History

1. Bartholomew Ogbeche (Hyderabad FC)

There is absolutely no doubt when it comes to selecting the best football players in ISL history. Hyderabad FC’s Bartholomew Ogbeche is now the all-time leading goalscorer in the history of the Indian football league. The Nigerian superstar has scored 63 goals and made nine assists in 98 appearances. Big Bart made his debut during the 2018-19 season for NorthEast United, scoring 12 goals. The 36-year-old joined Kerala Blasters in his second season and continued the goalscoring hunger. He scored 15 goals in 16 games for the Yellow Army. The Nigerian striker was part of the Mumbai City FC, which won its maiden ISL trophy in the 2020-21 season, before moving to Hyderabad FC in the summer. He scored 18 goals last season and won the Golden Boot. Bartholomew Ogbeche has scored ten goals in this ongoing 2023-24 season.

2. Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC)

When you talk about football, especially the Indian football league, you can't skip the name of India's legendary footballer. Sunil Chhetri is the only Indian in the list of the top five best football players in ISL history. The Indian football team captain has scored 61 goals and assisted 11 times in 155 appearances for Mumbai City FC and Bengaluru FC combined. Despite his old age, the Bengaluru FC captain is still playing at his peak. Chhetri has scored five goals in this ongoing 2023-24 season. With 94 goals to his name in 150 international appearances, Sunil Chhetri is currently the third-highest goal-scorer among active players in international matches, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who are also part of the top 7 football players in 2024. Chhetri joined Bengaluru FC in January 2017 from Mumbai City FC, for whom he played 17 league matches, scoring seven goals.

3. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Bengaluru FC)

Strikers win you matches, but it is the goalkeepers who win you tournaments. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has been one of the superstars of the ISL. He has been with Bengaluru FC throughout the period. Sandhu - the goalkeeper, has one of the best defensive records for any ISL club in the last five seasons. He’s the only goalkeeper in Indian football league history to win the Golden Glove twice. Gurpreet won back-to-back in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons. He has 44 clean sheets in 138 matches, the second-highest in ISL history and only two less than Amrinder Ranjit Singh – who has played 22 games more than him. Sandhu has appeared 138 times in the league and has made 387 saves. Arguably, he is the best goalkeeper the Indian Super League has witnessed.

4. Amrinder Ranjit Singh (Odisha FC)

Star goalkeeper Amrinder Ranjit Singh is fourth in the list of the top five best football players in ISL history. Amrinder Singh, who got his first chance in the Indian football league back in 2015, is always in the mix when it comes to Indian football news. He joined Kolkata on loan for the 2015 season. But his most successful stint started after spending five seasons with Mumbai City FC before moving to ATK Mohun Bagan in 2021. He made 84 appearances for Mumbai and even won the Golden Glove in his debut season with Mumbai, with three clean sheets in six appearances. Odisha FC's Amrinder Singh has collected nine clean sheets this season, the most in the league. Amrinder Singh moved to Odisha FC in September 2022 from Mohun Bagan Super Giant, for whom he made 22 league appearances. The 30-year-old still remains one of the best goalkeepers the Indian Super League has seen. He’s made 160 appearances, keeping 46 clean sheets with 464 saves – more than any other goalkeeper in the Indian Super League.

5. Roy Christopher Krishna (Odisha FC)

Odisha FC’s Roy Krishna has to be right up there among the highest scorers in the history of the ISL. The super striker has scored 12 goals this season, the second most by a player in the Indian football league in the 2023-24 season. Overall, the Fiji international scored 54 goals and assisted 26 times in 105 appearances. Roy Krishna was the key to ATK’s ISL triumph in the 2019/20 season, scoring 15 goals. Roy Krishna currently plays for Odisha FC. Odisha FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant will clash at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar in the first leg of their semi-final encounter of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 on April 23, Tuesday.