With just two weeks to go for the Indian Super League's (ISL) second edition to begin, the excitement among fans, players and team franchisees is building up. Just like the first season - the ISL has added some big foreign names to its kitty and supporters in India are excited to see them in action.
ISL-2 kicks off on October 3 with Chennaiyin FC hosting inaugural champions Atletico de Kolkata in the first match. A number of foreign additions clearly indicate that there has been a big growth in the league and foreign players really want to come and play in India.
The inaugural ISL season saw a good deal of former top-flight professionals from top leagues battle it out in India and we can expect the same this season.
From John Arne Riise to Florent Malouda, from Adrian Mutu to Roberto Carlos, all the who's who of the footballing world will showcase their skills and treat the Indian audience with high class entertainment.
Here are five of the new international recruits that fans will love to watch:
Florent Malouda: The former Chelsea winger is one of the only two players in the ISL with an English Premier League winners' medal. Malouda will feature for Delhi Dynamos, who finished fifth in the first edition of the league. The left-footed French footballer is known for his tricky dribbling and creativity. The winger has not only been the key player for his teams in the past but also pitched in with crucial goals throughout his illustrious career with Lyon and Chelsea. He was also part of the French national team to finish runners-up in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Adrian Mutu: The FC Pune City squad has gone through a massive overhaul before ISL-2 and one of the big names they have brought in is this former Chelsea forward. Mutu began his career with Romanian club Arges Pitesti and has played for clubs like Inter Milan, Fiorentina, Chelsea and Juventus. Mutu joined the Blues in 2003 from Parma but was released by the English side in October 2004 having failed a drug test for cocaine the previous month. During his peak he was seen as one of the finest strikers in Serie A. He is also Pune's marquee player.
John Arne Riise: Delhi Dynamos, managed by Roberto Carlos, won the race to sign the former Liverpool left-back who was also linked to Kerala Blasters. Having won the Champions League, UEFA Cup, FA Cup and the Carling Cup with Liverool, Riise will be a big asset to the side from the capital city of India. He brings in bundle of experience with him and along with player-cum-manager Carlos can make Delhi click. Despite being a left-back, Risse had scored some brilliant goals in the past and he is an asset with the free-kicks as well.
Tuncay Sanli: The 33-year old Sanli has played in England with the likes of Middlesbrough, Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers; and the Turkish is one of the perfect No. 10 any team can have in ISL. FC Pune City looks very good in front with him and Mutu together. Sanli will bring pace and lethal finishing to the team that struggled big time last time around.
Simao Sabrosa: The former Portugal and Barcelona winger has signed up as NorthEast United's marquee player. Simao made 85 appearances for Portugal and was part of the side that finished runners-up at the 2004 European Championship. He also won the Europa League with Atletico Madrid in 2010. The pacy winger is known for his pace and has been scorer of some brilliant goals in the past. NorthEast finished bottom of the table last year and the franchisee will be hoping that Simao can bring some luck with him to the side from Guwahati.
Comments
0 comment