5 current ISL players who played for top European clubsÂ
The first few seasons of the Indian Super League (ISL) witnessed numerous big names from European football trying their luck in India. From Roberto Carlos to Dimitar Berbatov, many household names of the global game, graced the league.
But many such moves yielded limited success as they couldn't adapt to the new setting fast enough. Fitness and starkly different climatic conditions remained a challenge for those who aimed to sign off on a high note from India.
Recently, there has been a reversal of this trend as domestic players have improved in quality and technique. Clubs and managers prefer worthy foreign players than big-priced legends way past their prime.
However, the quality of foreign signings plying their trade in the ISL hasn't gone down in these intervening years. Even those who are in the twilight of their careers have come up with valuable contributions.
Let us look at five current ISL players who played for some top European clubs.
#5 Asamoah Gyan - Sunderland/Udinese
Asamoah Gyan was one of the biggest foreign signings of the 2019-20 season of the ISL. The striker arrived at NorthEast United with huge expectations and settled in well before being hindered by an unfortunate injury.
Subsequently, the Ghana legend could play only eight matches in the league from which he scored four goals along with an assist. Though Gyan spent very little time in India, he came to the country with a rich experience from European leagues.
The 34-year-old joined Serie A club Udinese in 2003 and played 40 matches in five seasons. After two years, the striker landed in England after signing for Premier League club Sunderland. Gyan enjoyed a better stint with Sunderland as he scored eleven goals from 37 games.
Under Steve Bruce, he took up goal-scoring duties and delivered at crucial times to emerge as the club's joint-highest goal-scorer that season.
He was loaned to Al-Ain FC the next season but had earned a reputation with his time at England. The striker made a permanent move to the UAE club in 2012 and then set off a journey before arriving in India.
Gyan has 51 goals from 107 international games for Ghana and is one of the best footballers the nation has ever produced.