5 legends who have never played in the ISL semi-finals
The Indian Super League (ISL) has been the reason that so many football fans in India have received their quick fix of watching quality football matches in their own country. The league has almost single-handedly transformed the sporting arena in the country by making football one of the major attractions in the nation. With demand growing, the ISL has managed to capture the imagination of millions in the country by simply showing football in a positive light.
One of the main reasons for this rise in football viewership has been the addition of bona fide legends of the game in the ISL. Since its inception in 2014, plenty of footballing legends have found lucrative offers in India and made their way here to end their careers and promote the game. In turn, they've brought worldwide attention to Indian football and truly made an impact. But not all have been successful with their clubs. They may have been individual geniuses, but their teams haven't quite clicked like the way they would have wanted.
Here, we look at some of the game's greats who just couldn't quite break into the final stages of the competition.
#5 Joan Capdevila (NorthEast United)
Joan Capdevila has done plenty in his eventful career but he couldn't quite break into the semi-finals of the ISL with his club NorthEast United FC. The Highlanders have given inspirational performances in the ISL so far but have failed to make it big since 2014 and that has unfortunately been the case till date.
For a former FIFA World Cup winner, Capdevila will be disappointed that he couldn't inspire the team to better results while he played in India with the club. He did, however, bring some Spanish attention to Indian football owing to his hugely successful tenure in the La Liga with Atletico Madrid, Deportivo and Villarreal.