ISL: 5 Players of India Origin who can play in the future editions of the Indian Super League
With the advent of the Indian Super League, several big names graced the Indian shores and Michael Chopra was one of them. The former Newcastle United, Cardiff City, Sunderland striker with more than 55 appearances in the Premier League became the first Player of India Origin to play in the ISL.
Despite a string of underwhelming performances for Kerala Blasters, there was growing clamor for him to be included in Indian National team.
In fact, there has been a long-standing demand to include Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) in the National team setup but the government’s reticence on the issue has poured cold water on that.
The Indian origin striker was still 30, when came to India in 2014, and had a few good years left him.
Having scored close to 100 goals in English football with the likes of Newcastle United, Sunderland and Cardiff City, Chopra had brought with himself not only loads of experience but also a sense of belongingness with the Indian audience because of his Indian parentage.
Poor fitness levels and injuries marred his stint in India. He eventually brought down the curtains to his playing career.
Let’s look at 5 other Players of India Origin who can play in the future editions of the Indian Super League.
#1 Sarpreet Singh - New Zealand
After his breakthrough season with Wellington Pheonix in the Australian A-League, the talented midfielder earned his first senior national team call-up for a friendly match against Canada. He became the first footballer of Indian origin to have played for the New Zealand football team.
His performances in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup caught the attention of many, and with good reason.
An attacking midfielder by trade, his natural passing ability, and his desire to positively affect play in the midfield makes a player to watch out for the future. At just 19, the young midfielder has a long journey ahead and hopefully, ISL becomes a pit stop in this journey.