ISL 2021-22: Who are Kerala Blasters FC's foreign players?
The 2021-22 season of the Indian Super League is just around the corner. Two-time runners-up Kerala Blasters FC take on last season's finalists ATK Mohun Bagan in the opening fixture on Friday, 19th November.
After a disappointing 10th place finish last season, Kerala Blasters are raring to go again and will hope to reach the play-offs for the first time since 2016. Under new manager Ivan Vukomanović, The Blasters have managed to assemble a quality squad.
This season, ISL clubs are allowed to have six foreign players in their squads, while only four can be fielded at any instant in a match.
We will have to wait and see how the reduction in foreigners changes the dynamic of the league. Here, we take a look at the six foreign players who will don the yellow of Kerala Blasters FC this season.
#1 Enes Sipović (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Sipović, the tall Bosnian centre-back, has the most ISL experience of foreign players in the squad. Having plied his trade for rivals Chennaiyin FC last season, Sipović signed for the Blasters in July on a one-year deal. He made his debut for the club in the Durand Cup in September, featuring in all three group stage matches.
Sipović was an undisputed starter for Chennaiyin FC, playing 18 matches for them in 2020-21. The former Bosnian U-21 international's stats included a decent passing accuracy of 76.19%, 79 clearances, 79 tackles and 20 interceptions.
Sipović has also has the experience of playing in clubs all over the world, such as Umm Salal (Qatar), Oțelul Galați (Romania), Željezničar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Ittihad Tanger (Morocco).
#2 Marko Lešković (Croatia)
Partnering Sipović in defense will be 30-year-old former Croatian international Marko Lešković. He has spent his entire club career in Croatia and this season's ISL will be his first international assignment.
A fine partnership brewing at the back! 🤝
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Lešković brings bags of experience from the Croatian First Football League. He has played 179 matches in the division with four different clubs— Osijek, Rijeka, Dinamo Zagreb and Lokomotiva Zagreb. The centre-back won two league titles with Croatian heavyweights Dinamo Zagreb in 2018 and 2019. He has four caps for the Croatian senior national team and made his debut against Argentina in 2014.
With prior experience of playing at left-back and as a defensive midfielder, the Lešković's versatility means that he could prove to be a key player for The Blasters.
#3 Jorge Pereyra Díaz (Argentina)
31-year-old Díaz arrived in Kerala on loan from Argentine top-tier side Club Atlético Platense. The South American striker has scored over 100 goals in his career and will shoulder the goalscoring responsibilities of The Blasters this season.
Playing for the Blasters will be Díaz's second stint in Asia, after having featured for Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia from 2014 to 2018. His time at JDT was highly successful as he won six trophies with the club along with two league titles. Díaz amassed a total of 55 goals for the Malay side, including one against Bengaluru FC in the 2016 AFC Cup semi-final.
Apart from his parent club Platense, Díaz has been a part of a few other Argentine sides like Ferro Carril Oeste, Lanús and Independiente. He has also made appearances for Club Bolívar (Bolivia), Club León (Mexico) and San Marcos (Chile).
#4 Álvaro Vázquez (Spain)
Barcelona-born Vázquez is Kerala Blaster's biggest signing of the season in terms of top-league experience. A product of the Espanyol academy, Vázquez has played 154 matches in La Liga and scored 26 goals for Espanyol and Getafe. He also appeared for Swansea City in the Premier League back in the 2013-14 season.
Internationally, Vázquez has featured 24 times for Spain's junior teams and won the UEFA U-21 European Championship in 2013. Last season, the Spaniard was a part of Segunda División club Sabadell, on loan from Sporting de Gijón. He has also played for Nàstic and Real Zaragoza in the Spanish second tier.
The six-foot tall Vázquez will be the main marksman for The Blasters this season and will hope to strike a lethal partnership with fellow forward Jorge Pereyra Díaz.
#5 Adrián Luna (Uruguay)
The 29-year-old attacking midfielder became the first-ever Uruguayan to sign for Kerala Blasters. Luna arrives in India fresh from winning the A-League title with Melbourne City last season. With eight goals and nine assists from his last two years in Australia, Luna appears to be the creative spark the Blasters need in midfield.
The Uruguayan scored on his debut for the club against Indian Navy in the Durand Cup. Luna has played for a number of different clubs in the Americas and Europe, like Defensor Sporting and Nacional (Uruguay), Veracruz and Venados (Mexico), and Nàstic and Sabadell (Spain).
In his youth career, Luna scored eight goals in 19 appearances for Uruguay U-17s and U-20s, including in the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup and 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
#6 Chencho Gyeltshen (Bhutan)
Kerala Blasters have fulfilled their AFC foreign player quota by signing Bhutanese star Chencho Gyeltshen. The quick forward can operate in multiple positions up front and could be an impactful player off the bench for the team.
🗣️ ”Nothing ever comes easy and whatever comes easy, fades away. I would say only my hard work and dedication have paid off for me." - @Che7cho
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The Blasters will be Chencho's fourth Indian club after Minerva Punjab, Bengaluru and NEROCA. During his time in India, he has recorded 18 goals in 46 appearances and was Minerva's top scorer in their title-winning 2017-18 I-League season.
Chencho's only previous ISL experience was with Bengaluru FC's 2018-19 title-winning squad, scoring two goals in nine appearances. Last season, the Bhutanese netted seven goals for RoundGlass Punjab FC in the I-League as his side finished in fourth place.