Top 5 Players who made their debut in ISL 2019-20 season
The Indian Super League can be gruelling to some people. With teams playing more than one occasion within a week sometimes, covering the length and breadth of the continental size of the country, the travelling can take a toll on the newcomers.
Couple that with the adverse climatic conditions, a lot of players struggle to perform anywhere near their best and a sharp decline is seen in their performance levels. Moreover, the uneven pitches on a couple of venues like Bhubaneswar and Hyderabad could have proven to be a major hurdle.
But, these players didn't take much time to acclimatize. From unheralded players plying their trade in the obscurity of Goa to A-League marquee players, these footballers lit up the league in their debut season.
Without any further ado, here are top 5 players who made their debut in ISL 2019-20 season.
#5 Jessel Carneiro (Kerala Blasters FC)
Kerala Blasters made a lot of noise in the transfer window with big names like Bartholomew Ogbeche, Gianni Zuiverloon, and Sergio Cidoncha shifting their base whereas others like Sandesh Jhingan and Sahal Abdul Samad extending their loyalty.
Among the 19 new faces, Jessel Carneiro's name would have been the most unheard one. But, after playing every minute of football this season for an injury-laden Kerala Blasters, he has signed a three-year extension and has made the left-back position his home.
One of the marvellous traits of Jessel is his ability to concede fewer fouls. The Goan lad has conceded only 7 fouls in the 1620 minutes he has been on the pitch. A mammoth figure of 78 clearances, coupled with 28 tackles, 22 interceptions, and 22 blocks, makes him a complete defender.
Kerala Blasters like to overlap their full-backs a lot. It has seen Jessel bag 5 assists while whipping in 55 crosses. Having made the most number of passes for his team, Jessel averages at 41.44 passes per game.
Making the transition from the Goa Pro League, which is at the fourth-tier of Indian football, to cementing his supremacy in the topmost tier of a country at the age of 29 is no mean feat. But, Jessel has shown that anything is possible with determination and hard work.