MBFT Specials : FOUR Foreign Mohun Bagan players who are National Heroes!

4 Foreign MB players who are National heroes.

Indian football was introduced to the world of foreign players properly from the late 80s. While the first foreign player to officially play for an Indian football club remains the Anglo-Burmese forward, Fred Pugsley who escaped Burma and sought asylum in India during World War II, official records indicate the first foreign players for the Republic of India were Pakistani duo of Masood Fakhri and Moosa in the 50s who played for East Bengal and Mohammedan SC respectively. 

Fast forward twenty years, Mohammedan SC got their hands on two brilliant Iranian students from Aligarh Muslim University, Ahmed Sanjari (who played in Iran’s world cup squad) and Md. Khabaji. Seeing the immense talent pool, East Bengal officials, without any delay brought two more Iranians to Kolkata, Majid Biskhar (another Iranian world cup player) and Jamshid Nassiri. The Iranians were true stalwarts in every sense. 

Jamshid Nassiri (left) & Majid Bishkar (right). Picture courtesy :- Anandabazar

Kolkata maidan, till then had not seen players of their calibre. The crown jewel, Majid became a huge fan favourite. Such was his elegance that even now he is considered a yardstick for the quality of foreigners and new foreign recruits when put into comparison. Mesmerising performances for East Bengal and Mohammedan have made Majid immortal in the hearts of Indian Football fans.

Kolkata Maidan's love story with Africa started in the 1980s. Yesteryear legends like Subhas Bhowmick, Surajit Sengupta hung up their boots and there was a lack of enthusiasm. Football's popularity in the Mecca of Indian football was starting to dwindle a bit. Maidan needed a sensation, a crowd puller. Enter Chima Okorie, an architecture student in Visakhapatnam University. Mohammedan roped him up and Chima quickly became one of the most popular players. He was instrumental in opening the floodgates for Africans to ply their trade in Kolkata teams.

Jose Ramirez Barretto. Picture Courtesy - The Telegraph

Since the beginning of the National League, numerous foreign players started to play for various clubs in India. Although questions can be raised on the quality of the majority of them, still Indian football fans were gifted with the skill and craftsmanship of Jose Barreto, Igor Shkyrvin and Dusit Chalmersan to name a few. In this two-fold article, the author puts an honest effort in penning down a few Legends of Mohun Bagan who have been national heroes or have a cult following in their respective National Teams back in their home land.

1.Armando Sadiku (Albania) :-

Picture Courtesy - ISL & MBSG Media

Eastern Europe in the 1990s was a tumultuous place. With the fall of the Iron Curtain and the Soviet Union, the region ravaged into several wars, the most notable being Yugoslav wars. As the series of conflicts escalated and nations started getting independence, Albania, a new nation found its existence out of the clutches of war. It was here in the city of Elbasan in Cerrik that the rebel, Armando Sadiku; A name that would be forever synonymous with Albanian football was born.

Sadiku’s youth started in 1998 with Fushe Mbreti. He spent a decade before signing his first professional contract with hometown team Turbina which contested in the second division, Kategoria e Pare. He played 40 games in his debut season scoring 10 goals. In 2009, Sadiku was transferred to Gramoz of Ereska which was debuting for the first time in the Albanian Super League.

Banking on his raw talent, Sadiku netted 8 times in 28 matches and caught the eye of other teams. A successful breakthrough season enabled him a move to top flight side Elbasani. What started as a bright season for his parent club ended on an abrupt end midway through the season. Sadiku was banned from the Albanian Super league due to non sporting behavior. 

Sadiku was dismissed after he scored a goal against Laci which was disallowed by the linesman. Enraged that the winner was cancelled, Sadiku ran towards him pushing him by the throat, also spitting him in the process. The unsportsmanlike gesture was not seen in a good note by the league's disciplinary committee, expelling him for the rest of the season and imposing a financial fine on him.

 What could have been a career ending decision for an emerging player turned into an opportunity for Armando Sadiku. His ego for greatness and determination opened a new avenue as Sadiku signed for Swiss League side Locarno. The Albanian immensely benefited from this move netting 9 goals in 12 matches in the second half of the season. 

Away from the pressure of local media and fans, Sadiku scored a staggering 19 goals in 39 appearances becoming the league's highest scorer. A season and half in the Swiss Challenge League attracted the attention of another Swiss side, FC Lugano who signed him on a three year contract. Despite becoming the top scorer for his team with 20 goals, Lugano finished 7th in the league failing to clinch a spot for the Swiss Super League next season. It was clear that the Swiss second division was a cakewalk for him and at this time came his career’s biggest offer both domestically and internationally.

At the start of 2012-13 season, FC Zurich came calling and Sadiku packed his bags for the Swiss first division. Fresh from his international debut a few months back, The Albanian made a vibrant start to his Swiss first division career. He scored his first goal against Thun in a 3-1 win before converting a penalty against the same opponent a few days later to progress into the finals of Swiss Cup. 

Against heavyweights FC Basel in the final, Sadiku played his heart out in the final thirty minutes of extra time enabling Zurich to win the eighth cup in their history. It was the Albanian’s first major trophy in his career.

 With domestic progress came the coveted call up from the National Team. For the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, new coach Gianni De Biasi started introducing young forwards into the senior national team to create more competition for places. Sadiku along with Edgar Çani and Bekim Balaj was called up to provide competitions to the mature internationals Erjon Bogdani and Hamdi Salihi. 

As soon as an opportunity presented itself, Sadiku was the first one to utilise it. Forming a strike partnership with Hamid Salihi, Sadiku scored his first international goal against Cyprus when he opened the scoring in Albania’s 3-1 win in the WCQ. It was the first of few goals that Sadiku scored for the national team, but the special one was yet to arrive.

 It has been a common scenario in Armando Sadiku’s career graph that whenever he started achieving great things and was on the cusp of glory, one bad incident derailed the progress. While his ban from Albanian league came due to disciplinary issues, his golden moment of playing in a world cup came crashing due to a knee ligament tear which came in a league match. Sadiku was sidelined for the next 6 months and as a result had to sit out of the 2014 Brazil World Cup. Tragic Heroes often don't get a perfect ending, Or do they?

 Although Sadiku resumed play by the end of the year, his form had plummeted. Only 4 goals at the end of the season meant Sadiku had a huge challenge to regain his form and fitness. However, new coach Sami Hyppia turned a blind eye to him even though he was the highest goalscorer of the team. He did score 6 more goals by mid season but lack of opportunities as a starter meant Sadiku had to search for a new club. 

EURO 2016 was on the horizon and Sadiku had to show game time in order to get a national team call-up. A switch to bottom table side Vaduz was finalised in the early days of the January transfer window. Zurich was hugely criticised by the local press which dubbed the loan an "own goal". Sadiku made his debut with two blazing assists against his former side FC Lugano before salvaging a point from Grasshopper Club Zurich where he opened his books. 

Goals kept coming as the Albanian improved his form every matchday. He scored a brace in the 2015–16 Liechtenstein Cup semi-final match against Eschen/Mauren, helping the team to win the 2–1 and progress to the final where Vaduz won a staggering 11-0! Vaduz eventually finished 8th which was enough to avoid relegation. With his club commitments done, Sadiku set his eyes on the biggest European stage, The EURO Cup.

Due to his on and off domestic form, Sadiku was not called regularly during the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. He was the third choice striker by manager De Biasi, behind Cikalleshi and Balaj. Sadiku had to wait for his opportunity and it arrived at the right time. In the final matchday against Armenia, Sadiku came on at 59th minute and scored 17 minutes later to make it  3–0. The goal sealed his place in the Albanian EURO squad.

 Sadiku made his first ever UEFA European Championship appearance in Albania’s opening group game against Switzerland. The Swiss scored early from Fabian Schar’s header and things got worse when captain Lorik Cana got the marching orders within the first half. Albania chased the game but were unsuccessful in their search. Against France, The Red and Blacks fought tooth and nail. Just as it was looking that Albania might escape with a point, Griezmann struck at the 90th minute. 

Dimitri Payet added a second in the dying minutes. Having lost to Switzerland and France in their opening two games, Albania had nothing to lose against Romania. On a lively night in Lyon, Romania started brightly as Albania found it difficult to build up play in the final third. But that was to change soon. 

Warning signs came from Ledian Memushaj and Migjen Basha but the crucial blow would come two mins before half time. Memushaj collected the ball on the right and speared a cross to the far post. The Romanian custodian came out for the ball and Albania’s No. 10 rose to guide a fine header into the net, prompting an outpour of emotion!

No sooner had Armando Sadiku put Albania in front with a smartly steered header, the FC Zurich striker was wheeling away in a state of pure, unbridled joy. He had only one intention, and it was clear no one was going to prevent him from realising it. Charging back down the pitch towards the half-way line, Sadiku waved frantically to one team-mate hopeful of an embrace on the touchline to step aside, with the path being hastily cleared for Albania’s hero to slide to his knees in front of delirious bench, where he was duly mobbed. The full time whistle read: Romania 0 Albania 1!

 It was a scintillating night. A memorable one for thousands of Albanians that travelled to France! It was the night of glory for The Red and Blacks for they registered their first win ever in a major football tournament and the man of the moment was none other than Armando Sadiku! Albania could not advance to the knockout stages after finishing last in the third-placed teams. However, Sadiku ensured a sweet end to the tournament for the minnows.

 Upon his return to FC Zurich as an icon, Sadiku was a target of top European clubs from Serie A and Bundesliga, but things did not materialise due to Zurich’s high economical demands. As the season progressed, it was getting clear that Zurich and Sadiku were not on the same page. 

In January 2017, former Albanian assistant manager, Paolo Tramezzani was appointed as a head coach of FC Lugano and soon after he made Sadiku’s move on loan at Lugano making a return after 3 years. Forming a fierce partnership with Ezgjan Alioski, the duo dubbed as “goal twins” scored 25 goals in between them propelling Lugano from the relegation zone to achieve a third-place league finish and Europa League qualification. 

Unbelievably, at the end of last year Lugano was close to relegation. They changed coaches and trusted Tramezzani and now the Italian turned things around to take FC Lugano on the doorsteps of Europa League. A success story led by Tramezzani changed everything for the club and Armando Sadiku was at the centre of it.

 With his three years in Switzerland over, it was time for a new challenge. In the summer transfer of 2017, Sadiku signed for Polish giants, Legia Warsaw for €1.5 million, making him the most expensive purchase of Polish football. It was at Legia that Sadiku made his Champions league debut even scoring in a 3-1 defeat. 

He also scored in his Polish Cup debut but things were not clicking as he wanted. Leading a globetrotter’s life, he soon had to find a new home. After Albania, Switzerland and Poland; Spain came calling. Levante signed Sadiku having high hopes as Sadiku became the second-ever Albanian to play in La Liga. 

What seemed as an upward curve in his career pulled his trajectory lower. An injury rigged season where two major injuries limited his playing time, Sadiku’s spanish stint was far from being called successful. To make matters worse his second injury kept him out for the entire first half of the next season.

 Although facing minor hiccups in domestic career, Sadiku made sure that his international career is always on an upward curve. In 2019, he made his comeback into the national team after staying out for almost a year due to injuries and lack of form. Under caretaker manager, Ervin Bulku Sadiku made a second half substitute appearance against Turkey.

Three days later, Sadiku was handed a start against Andorra where he created history. Benefiting from the wrong clearance of opposition goalkeeper Josep Gómes, Sadiku opened the scoring of a 3-0 win scoring his 12th international goal, this overtaking Hamdi Salihi to become Albania's fourth all-time top scorer.

 A warrior struggling to find his fitness and form, Sadiku was looking for opportunities when his old club, FC Lugano agreed to loan him for the rest of the season. Club president Enzo Renzetti expressed his delight at the prospect of reuniting with his old player. Levante inserted a right to rebuy clause which they later activated at the end of the season before loaning him to Malaga. 

He netted thrice for Lugano in half a season before scoring sixteen times for Malaga in the Segunda Division. A rather odd move to Erzurumspor, Turkey plummeted his form as Sadiku found it hard to adjust to the unusual playing style of Turkish league, rarely gaining playing time. After having an unsuccessful season in Turkey, Sadiku decided to venture to a new continent, South America to continue his footballing journey. 

He was notched up for Bolivian giants, Club Bolivar where he became the first player to play in the prestigious Copa Libertadores where Bolivar thumped Montevideo Wanderers 5-1! He returned to Spain in the Segunda Division playing 2 more years. It was at this time in Spain that Armando Sadiku was enlightened with the glory and glamour of the Indian Super League.

 Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Armando Sadiku was actively looking for challenges outside of Europe when the opportunity to play in India was presented to him. A couple of teams from ISL propped up presenting their lucrative opportunities to him. 

The first one to present with a lucrative offer was Karolis Skinkys and Kerala Blasters. An enthralling project supported by a vibrant fan culture amidst Gods own country did intimidate Sadiku but then came Mohun Bagan. A century old club with a rich legacy dating back to pre independence days, the offer was too hard for him to ignore. 

Within a span of 5-6 days, Sadiku made a u-turn from Kerala Blasters to Mohun Bagan. Tallying over 400 club appearances in a career spanning over 15 years, Armando Sadiku donned the Green and Maroon to pair up with new Aussie signing, Jason Cummings.

 “Mohun Bagan have a huge legacy in Indian football and I’m looking forward to playing a role for them in their success.”

 

As the new season dawned upon, The Mariners started building expectations on how the new strike partnership would fare. The duo made their coveted debut in the Durand Cup group stage 1-3 derby loss to arch-rivals East Bengal. Although Sadiku and Cummings were both criticised for missing chances, questions arose in the coaching team’s thought process of playing a youth squad in the starting matches before suddenly switching to the senior team in a ‘boro match’. 

Forgetting the group stage, Bagan went into the knockout stages conquering one opponent after another. A mixture of sr. and jr. Players eliminated Mumbai before Sadiku and Cummings each scored in the 2-1 semi final win against Goa. He came off in the final for Dimitri Petratos who scored the winning goal. 

The victory signalled two birds in one shot; overtaking East Bengal’s count of Durand trophies and avenging the group stage defeat! It was the third knockout cup that Sadiku won in his career, the other two being the Swiss Cup and Lichtenstein Cup.

 Sandwiched between the Durand Cup, Mohun Bagan played the AFC Cup qualifiers where Sadiku scored his first goal in Green and Maroon colours against Abahani Dhaka. With his AFC participation, Sadiku achieved the unique feat of playing four continental competitions (Champions League, Europa League, Copa Libertadores and AFC Cup) in three different continents.

 Securing their AFC group stage participation along with bagging the first trophy of the season, Sadiku and Mohun Bagan started the campaign on a positive note. Coach Juan Ferrando utilised his forward and midfield options judiciously, often bringing out the best in them. 

While Sadiku and Cummings switched positions between Center forward and attacking medio/second striker with Petratos as the link-up guy, the variety of Indian options in midfield and wing complimented the quality of the foreigners thus enhancing the gameplay of the team.

 Bagan mounted the title challenge on a positive note winning five matches in a row. Sadiku was influential in winning an ill-tempered away game against Jamshedpur. After Sanan opened the scoring with a magnificent strike, Sadiku levelled the score from Manvir’s pass which proved crucial to bag home three points from an away game. 

A game later, Odisha travelled to Kolkata and to everybody's shock took a 2-0 lead at HT against an unbeaten home team. Back against the home crowd and without their new signings, Thapa and Sahal; Mohun Bagan had an uphill task in the second half. The Mariners answered the challenge through one man; Armando Sadiku.

As soon as Jahouh was subbed off, Bagan got the upper hand in the midfield battle. A minute later, Yuste clipped the ball to Kiyan, who timed his run to perfection for a first-time low cross to the centre of the box. The address written pass was for none other than the omnipresent Sadiku who made no mistake to poke the ball inside the net! Bagan were back in the game. 

The search for an equalising goal went for the remaining second half until it was achieved late in stoppage time. Yuste flicked on to Sadiku, who kept himself onside. As the custodian, Amrinder rushed out to narrow the angle; the Albanian stabbed the ball between the Odisha keeper’s leg and the open net. 2-2! Mohun Bagan had stolen a point right at the end. The unbeaten streak continued.

Ripe in form, Juan Ferrando played both Cummings and Sadiku upfront against North-East Utd and Bagan were back to winning ways! Sadiku placed a sublime header for Mr. fox in the box, Jason Cummings whose right footed shot from close range made it 2-1! Seven matches unbeaten, The Mariners had nightmares in the last week of 2023 where they played thrice in the league. 

Disaster written all over it. A violent clash away at Mumbai saw The Mariners bow down to a 1-2 loss in a fixture that saw 7 red cards! The impact was severe. A shattered dressing room bundled up to a 1-4 loss against FC Goa at home. The final nail in the coffin was pushed by Kerala Blasters when they inflicted a third loss in a row. Suddenly, Mohun Bagan, who were between the top two positions in the league, plummeted to fifth position.

 A disastrous Super Cup campaign amidst the January international break saw Mohun Bagan crash out of the group stage after a heavy 1-3 loss against East Bengal. A string of bad results with rumours of dressing room revolt sounded the alarm bells. 

Juan Ferrando stepped down and The old guard, Antonio Lopez Habbas was restored as the head coach of the club. Taking charge of his old club, Habbas first assignment was the coveted derby. East Bengal arrived rejuvenated as Super Cup champions and Mohun Bagan were the obvious underdogs.

 In an action-packed, roller coaster ride, East Bengal went up twice, first through Ajay Chhetri’s third-minute strike and Cleiton’s penalty in the second half. To worsen things, Anwar Ali and Brendan Hamill left the field injured midway. In the face of diversity, Mohun Bagan responded in style. 

Sadiku made it 1-1 in the 17th minute, turning Hamill’s cross into the goal and setting the tone for his team. And just when it looked like another bragging rights for Cuadrat’s team, Petratos came calling and ran away with the equalising goal and a point for Mohun Bagan! With the result Habbas record of never losing a derby remained intact. The draw snapped Mohun Bagan out of a three match losing streak.

 Back to winning ways, Habbas made sure to maintain squad harmony in order to keep up the title challenge. Three back to back wins ensured that Bagan were back in top two, chasing Mumbai City for the title. Sadiku was once more influential against Jamshedpur at home. Coming on for Joni Kauko in the 79th minute, The Albanian’s left footed shot was too far for custodian Rehenesh TP to save as Mohun Bagan scored a third in their route. 

East Bengal came next and Bagan defeated them 3-1 in the season’s fifth derby. After the derby win, every match was virtually a knockout. The Mariners had to keep an unbeaten record to clinch the title. To test their patience, Kerala Blasters invited them to their fortress, JLN Kochi. A vibrant yellow wall chanting Yennum Yellow throughout the stadium was silenced as early as the 4th minute by our Albanian hero. 

Sadiku snapped between defenders from either side of Pritam Kotal and Mikos Drinic before hitting a composed drive into the left bottom corner of Karanjit Singh's goal. 1-0! At three minutes and 36 seconds, this was the fastest goal that the Mariners have ever scored against Kerala Blasters FC, and it was their fifth-quickest overall in the competition’s history.

 The game stayed as it is for the rest of the half, with neither side creating clear cut chances that could cause complications. Interestingly, what followed was a frenetic second half, seeing a total of six goals across the final 40-odd minutes. A rejuvenated Kerala Blasters came out in the second half.  

Vibin Mohanan set up the standards before Diamantakos doubled the lead. Impressively, both teams had their talismanic forwards elevating their game. The Mariners regained their lead courtesy of Sadiku in the 60th minute. Dimi Petratos launched in a powerful free-kick directed to Manvir Singh inside a crowded box. 

Manvir showed good alertness to make a headed pass to Sadiku, who slotted the ball into the back of the net to bag his brace! 2-2. The game was ultimately sealed by Cummings’ extra time clash as Mohun Bagan fought tooth and nail to clinch three points from Kochi. The title race was heating up.

 Surprisingly, when everyone thought that Mohun Bagan would rightfully take the points table lead, Habbas and co. stumbled to a 2-3 loss against lowly placed Chenniayan at home. At that point, The league became a virtual knockout for both Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City. A tough fought 1-0 win against Punjab set up the penultimate stage at Bengaluru. 

Fears of a near slip was brushed away as soon as Hector Yuste hammered home a rebound in the 17th minute. Chettri missed a penalty and The Mariners sealed the game in the opening 15 minutes of the second half through Manvir Singh. Thapa tripled the lead and it was game set for Mohun Bagan. Manvir continued teasing the Bengaluru FC defense racing down the left flank with sheer pace before laying up a straight forward assist that Sadiku tapped in an open net! 4-0. 

The stage was set for an epic league finale against leaders Mumbai City FC. Sadiku played relentlessly on the final matchday, tormenting Mumbai defenders left and right. Mehtab was out marking Sadiku when Liston took advantage of the space and scored a beauty to open the scoring. Sadiku came off for Jason Cummings after an hour who scored the winning goal to seal The Mariners sixth league title!

A season that started shaky, lost its momentum in the middle, and finally ended in success. Mohun Bagan certainly took the tough way to bring home the trophy. In defence of the title, Bagan started forming a different style of team under a new manager. Aussie bigman, Jamie Maclaren signed for The Mariners which meant either of the two strikers, Jason or Armando had to leave. Cummings survived due to the league winning goal but Sadiku set sail for new adventures.

An instinctive striker who has always known to fight his way up to take what is rightfully his, Armando Sadiku has rarely had luck on his side. Wearing a lion’s heart on sleeves, Sadiku has never given up any challenge he has been thrown into. 

From Swiss second division to South America to ISL, he has adapted like a chameleon and conquered horizons. At FC Goa, under national team coach, Manolo Marquez Sadiku hasn't stopped scoring. He has netted in every match up till now, pre-season, Bandodkar Trophy and ISL. Averaging more than a goal per game, he has his sights firm on the golden boot. Armando Sadiku: A knight lost in time.

2.Igor Shkvyrin (Russia) :-

Igor Shkvyrin

Uzbek striker, Igor Shkvyrin graced Indian football at the twilight of his career. But he remains a unique player in his class. While those who have watched him play might remember him as "one of the best that ever played", rivals and critics also respect him as the "streets won't forget" kind of player.

Before delving into Igor's rise, Let's take a look at "Club 200 of Berador Abduraimov".

 Abduraimov was a famous USSR goal-scorer after whom a coveted list of Uzbek legends were crafted. Only the best of the best players made it to this eminent catalogue, as it required a minimum of 200 career goals to be associated with the player's boots. Igor Shikvryin sits at 6th position with 275 career goals. In 5 different stints for Pakhtakor, Igor scored a whopping 130 times over a staggering 235 appearances. In fact it was in his third shift in 1998 that caught the eye of Mohun Bagan officials.

 Born in Tashkent in the Soviet era, Shikyvrin spent his youth days for Lokomotiv Tashkent before making his debut for a second division club, FK Yagnier. Three years later, Uzbek giants, Pakhtakor Tashkent notched him as their centre forward. In the Pre soviet times, Pakhtakor used to rub shoulders with heavyweights like Spartak Moscow, Dynamo Moscow, Metalist Kharkiv, Dynamo Kiev to name a few in the old Vyschaya League.

The young lanky forward became a nightmare for teams above their weight as he scored 13 goals in his first three years. Three more years at lower division clubs honed his ability as a technical forward, while he also made a UEFA Cup appearance for Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in 1989. Seeing his progress, Pakhtakor decided to re-sign him and it is here the uncanny yet charming bonding of Igor Shkyvrin and Pakhtakor Tashkent starts.

 Pakhtakor were relegated to the second division, Pervaya League the season prior. To get out of the rugged second division, Pakhtakor needed a hero and Igor came as the Patroclus of the Trojan War. Unleashing his explosive form, Igor netted 37 goals in 37 games firing Pakhtakor back into Vyschaya League.

 Maintaining an average of a goal per game, Igor spearheaded Pakhtakor's attack propelling their promotion which caught the eyes of the National team as well. A year later, the Soviet Union broke down into Russia, Eastern European and Central Asian countries and thus the nation Uzbekistan was formed. At 29, Igor was one of the first names to be drafted during the National team's formation. His seniority earned him the title of captain as he led Uzbekistan to their first ever national team match, scoring in a 2-2 draw against Tajikistan.

Although his goals/game ratio dropped to 0.5 in the newly formed Premier Liga, Shkyvrin led his team to a last 16 finish at The Soviet Cup where they would go down 3-2 to Russian giants CSKA Moscow after holding them to a gritty 1-1 draw at home. At the end of the season, new adventures awaited Igor Shkyvrin as the Uzbek marksman flew to Israel.

 The 1994 Asian Games was the perfect opportunity for newly formed nations like Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to make a sporting statement to Asia. Both nations rose to the call but it was the Uzbeks that made it louder. Shkyvrin scored twice in their opening group game against Saudi Arabia before netting another brace against Malaysia. Interestingly, Igor's next battle would be against Thailand. 

An important player in that Thai team was a certain Dusit Chalermsan. Igor's relation with Dusit wouldn't end in that an evenly contested match between the Uzbeks and the Thais where Igor scored the winner in a 4-5 dogfight win. Bagging 12 pts out of 12, Uzbekistan were comfortably sitting on top of the table. The quarter final called for a similar yet unknown rival. However, the newly formed Turkmenistan were no match as The Turanians were up 3-0 within half hour with marksman Igor scoring twice.

South Korea in the semi final was a litmus test and it took perseverance to break the Koreans. The Gold medal match will be remembered for Igor finding the back of the net within a minute and half of kick-off. The lanky forward barely gave the Chinese defense time to settle before it was 1-0! There was no coming back from there. Whenever the Chinese scored, The Uzbeks outscored them. With 8 goals in 7 matches, Igor Shkyvrin was adjudged the best player and top scorer of the Asian games edition. He was also awarded the Uzbek footballer of the year 1994.

 Back to club football, in between his Israeli days, Igor helped his new team, Pahang FA to win the Malaysian Super League in 1995 before returning to The Land of Jews for two more seasons. Pakhtakor's third call came in 1998 and this time Igor out achieved his previous feats for The Sherlars. Scoring 22 goals in 29 games, Igor led Pakhtakor Tashkent to their first ever Uzbek Super League also becoming the joint top scorer of the season. He had completed his legendary arc at Pakhtakor. First playing a pivotal role in their promotion and now earning them their first ever league title.

It was difficult to keep his name under the rugs as Uzbekistan faced India at the 1998 Asian Games. Igor's mercurial performance made India suffer as they succumbed to a 0-2 defeat but the news of an experienced talismanic central Asian forward reached the Calcutta Maidan. Ahead of the 1999 season, Mohun Bagan were desperate for a foreign striker. Their main man Chima Okorie was suspended for two years on charges of assaulting a referee.

 With East Bengal winning the previous season, Bagan were desperate to win the title back from their arch-rivals. Consequently, great importance was given to foreign recruiting. Thai left back Dusit Chalermsan was signed as the first foreign recruit. Two Brazillians, Alexis and Jon, coupled with the great Jose Ramirez Barreto came for trial. Within a few days, Igor Shkyvrin was signed up. Subrata Bhattacharya had his armoury ready for the battle.

 Critics say that the 1999-00 season had the best accumulation of foreign and domestic talents. On pen and paper they were a gem of a team and in reality, their counter attacking football affirmed it. Partnering a young Jose Ramirez Barreto, Igor scored 11 times in 18 matches propelling Mohun Bagan to their coveted title with two matches remaining.

 The immaculate skills portrayed by the golden haired forward was unseen in Calcutta Maidan for a long time. Deft touches and Swift turns made Igor a lethal striker enabling him to find the net with ease. His ball control, receiving, striking accuracy was on a different level than his contemporary foreigners playing in India. He represented the perfect instinctive number 9 who would always be at the right place at the right time.

 Having seen his team's victory over arch rivals, East Bengal in the previous round, Igor was fired up to put in his contributions. In his first match, Igor opened his account in the dying minutes from a Lolendra Singh cross salvaging a draw. Dempo, Churchill and Salgaocar were the first victims of the famous Igor-Barreto duo. 

While Barreto scored and assisted in his debut against Dempo, Igor scored to keep The Red Machines at 1-1. Salgaocar too would've been a draw if not for Barreto's volley in the dying minutes. Igor continued scoring against Tollygunge Agragmi and ITI before his strike partner returned from suspension to score a brace against Salgaocar. Slowly yet steadily the duo was taking Mohun Bagan to their desired dream.

 The unbeaten run was jolted with a loss against FC Kochin and a draw against Churchill after Igor and Stephen took the lead but the Bagan defence crumbled under pressure to concede twice. But Mohun Bagan became more determined than ever to win the title. Five back to back victories brought them to the front seat.

 First, Dempo sat back defending their first with everything. In the last quarter, the mesmerising duo of Barreto-Igor lit up to give three points. Dodging Samir Nayak on the left, Barreto sprinted to the touchline before putting a floating center in the box. Before any Dempo defenders could react, Igor flew in like an eagle swiftly flicking it beyond the custodian's reach. Goal! The Blue Boys from Goa were left stunned as the golden haired marksman fisted out towards the gallery in celebrations.

 Second, Mohun Bagan wanted to keep the winning run going when they faced JCT Mills in Saltlake stadium. Barely 20 mins into the match, Igor received the ball at the edge of the box from Barreto. Body dodging one after the other, the Uzbek star skipped past 4 defenders before chipping over the onrushing goalkeeper in the back of the net! Even the goalie and two of his Centre backs were down on the ground. The home crowd went silent in disbelief before erupting in celebrations. Such audacity, such aura.

 By the end of the 5 match win streak, Bagan were on the cusp of winning the league and Salgaocar's loss to FC Kochin confirmed their title win. The unstoppable trio of Barreto-Igor-Stephen finally bore fruit. Bagan landed their second NFL title. Overwhelmed by the celebrations and absence of key players, Bagan lost the Derby 3-1. However, Igor scored a brace against SBT and Tollygunge Agragami on either side of the Derby thus securing the golden boot.

Ahead of the new season, the management desperately wanted to keep Igor Shkyvrin but the Uzbek returned to his long lost love, Pakhtakor for a fourth time.

 People who haven't seen Igor play might exclaim that how can a player playing for only a season be given a demi-god status in a legacy rich club like Mohun Bagan that has been the cradle of birth for so many stars. The answer to this lies in his greatness. After Pakhtakor's fourth stint, Igor returned to India for Churchill Brothers. 

For a relatively lesser known team in India and at the very fag end of his career, Igor outwitted his previous season, scoring 12 goals single handedly giving Churchill a 3rd position finish. That was the greatness of Igor Shkyvrin. He retired a season later after playing his farewell season for his beloved club, Pakhtakor Tashkent.

3.Dusit Chalermsan ( Thailand ) :-

Dusit Chalermsan

Dusit Chalermsan started his youth career with Chonburi Physical College in 1983. He made switches through a few places and eventually landed up in the Police United youth team in 1988 before finally gaining a senior squad call the year later. After four seasons at Police Utd, Dusit moved onto the newly formed Tero Sasana (also known as Police Tero FC) in 1993.

 Shortly after his transfer to BEC Tero Sasana, Dusit got his first international call-up at the 1994 Asian Games. Thailand were grouped with Hong Kong, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan. AFC wanted to keep the tournament in the u-23 format but most teams ignored sending their best players. In his debut tournament, Dusit Chalermsan had an uphill task to conquer.

 The Thai left back made his international debut against Hong Kong and got his first goal in his debut match! Thailand ultimately lost 1-2. But Dusit's overlapping strides and positional ability drew praise. Being a defender to get a goal on his debut was considered a huge feat but he was just getting started. In the next match, Saudi Arabia ran riot scoring four past The War Elephants. 

Their answer: Two blitzkrieg goals of Chalermsan in the last 10 minutes briefly brought Thailand into the game. But a comeback was not in the cards. Dusit finished the tournament with 3 goals to his name, an impressive feat as a left back which earned him a permanent spot in the Thai national team for years to come. He also featured in the 1994 AFC All star team where he brushed shoulders with Asian greats like Kazuyoshi Miura and Ali Daei.

When Dusit joined Police Tero, they were a newly formed club and placed in Division 3 of football royal cup (Thai League).  After his international accolades, Dusit spearheaded BEC Tero's progress to the upper divisions. Back to back promotions enabled the team to play in the first division in 1996.

In International colors, Dusit's duties came handy in the ASEAN championship. Although Thailand clinched the 1996 ASEAN championship, the team performed poorly in the Asian Cup. Faced with tough West Asian countries, Thailand lost all three matches against Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Chalermsan was the only bright point of the tournament scoring one of the 2 goals that Thailand scored in the tournament.

Chalermsan once again came to the rescue when he scored a crucial goal in the away leg against Hong Kong in 1998 world cup qualification. Responsibilities were bestowed upon him at The 1998 Asian Games which was held in Thailand.

Expectations were high for the home team to perform and The War Elephants did punch above their weights. The home team clinched a commanding 5-0 win against Hong Kong before topping the group with a comfortable 2-0 win over Oman. Having duly fulfilled his defensive duties in the first round, Chalermsan showed his offensive prowess in the second round.

He opened the scoring against Kazakhstan before the Kazakhs equalized. A 1-0 win over Lebanon and a 1-2 loss to Qatar meant Thailand were going to the quarter finals. Against South Korea at the Rajamangala Stadium, Chalermsan and co. showed resilience to win the match in extra time after results finished 1-1 in regulation time. Ultimately, the burden of expectations became too much for The Thais as the dream run ended at The semifinals in the hands of Kuwait.

Back in club colours, Dusit played in the Police Tero's 98-99 Asian Club Championship campaign where they demolished Nepal's Three Star Club 6-1 before bowing out to Dalian Wanda. By 1999, Tero were challenging the Thai League and finished narrowly in the third position. Dusit was Thailand's star player.

Picture Courtesy - GettyImages

However, his life changing moment would come at the 2000 Iran vs Asia All-Stars Game where Dusit got selected to be a part of the All Stars squad. Although Iran cruised through 5-0 courtesy of talismanic forward Ali Daei's hattrick, Dusit's sturdiness did not go unnoticed.

Indian scouts had already noticed Dusit's performances in the 1998 Asian Games where India along with Thailand also played. Phones started ringing and enquiries came about the versatile side back cum defensive midfielder. Ahead of the 2000-01 season, Dusit Chalermsan was signed by Mohun Bagan as one of Asia's most effective players of the time.

 Before Dusit's arrival, Mohun Bagan was undergoing a period of coaching transition, from mastermind tactician Chattuni to one of the finest defenders of India, Subrata Bhattacharya. Upon taking over reigns, Subrata Bhattacharya instantly knew that Bagan’s problems lay in its frail defence. Playing a four man defence at that time, Sami Omollo’s inconsistent form affected Bagan’s results. Dulal Biswas at right-back tried his best but he was let down by a porous left flank. Subrata’s first step was to stabilise the defence by changing the formation to a 5-3-2.

 However the only problem was that he had to sacrifice a man in the midfield. A versatile left back who could also play as left midfielder or defensive midfielder, Dusit Charlesman arrived as the first foreign recruit and rightfully solved Subrata's woes. Partnering with Sammy Omollo, Hosen Mustafi, Amitabh Chanda, Satyabrata Bhowmick, Dusit played a sturdy role in defense along with a compact partnership with Basudeb Mondal in midfield. Mohun Bagan displayed an scillinating brand of football and as a result the club's second NFL title was won with 47 points. Along with the NFL, Dusit helped Mohun Bagan clinch the Durand as well as the Rovers cup.

 A season that is quite often remembered for the blitzkrieg partnership of Barreto-Igor, Dusit Chalermsan stands as a silent hero to a vindictive title championing. With his strong physique, the side back's never say die attitude kept the Bagan hull tight while his overlapping runs were hard to match. A dead ball specialist, Dusit often floated in dangerous balls inside the box from indirect free kicks. His diagonal crosses to R.P. Singh and Barreto were sources of several of Igor's goals. His long goal kicks often landed directly at Barreto-Igor's feet which haunted opposition defenses. A specialist kicker of the ball, Dusit's versatility was unmatched and Indian football hasn't encountered such a player of his calibre.

Dusit's best match in Green and Maroon colours came in the New Millennial Derby played on 3rd Jan 2000. Although not being gifted with pace, Dusit outsmarted opposition with overlapping runs. His crosses to young turk Dippendu Biswas posed a great threat. The match remained 0-0 till 75 minutes before Dusit's dummy run enabled James and  Stepehen to play a clever 1-2 to which James thwarted a shot past Hemanta Dora. 1-0!

 Ahead of the new season, Dusit stayed while Stephen and Igor departed. Barreto took up an additional role in search of goals. Mohun Bagan with a fresh look wanted to clinch the title back to back but only managed a runners-up medal behind East Bengal in the NFL. The Mariners won the CFL. At the end of the season, The Thai international returned to his old club, BEC Tero Sasana. After a season at Tero Sasana, Dusit once again ventured into a new horizon: Vietnam. He signed for 4 years with Hong Anh Gia Lai. 

Back to back V.1 league titles in 2003 and 2004 ensured that Dusit was leading the team to consecutive AFC Champions League and ASEAN cup appearances. Under Dusit's leadership, Hong Anh went on a rampage scoring nineteen goals in the 2005 ASEAN Cup group stage! Dusit netted twice contributing the team’s overall haul. A semi final defeat meant that Hong Anh bowed out with a bronze place finish. His contributions towards Vietnam football enabled him a medal from the government. A celebrated hero of the game, Dusit left Vietnam after 2007 playing his farewell season with childhood club, Police United.

Picture Courtesy - GettyImages

In a country which rarely prefers foreign sidebacks over foreign centre backs and forwards even till the date, Dusit Chalermsan played some sensational football in the two years he spent at Mohun Bagan. As much credit goes to Subrata Bhattacharya for tactically using Dusit, equal credit should be given to the Thai player for adapting his game into the style of Indian football.

4.Roy Krishna (Fiji) :-

Roy Krishna

In the Neo age of ISL, A-League transfers have become a seasonal occurrence for The Mariners. But the first of the big names that appeared from the A-League was Fijian marksman, Roy Krishna.

 Hailing from a small island country in Oceania region, Roy Krishna came from a family of humble beginnings and struggles. He never had any grassroots programmes in his native country as the sport was pretty much non-existent. 

It was in the sugar-milling town of Labasa that Roy Krishna decided to take up football. His choice was more because his diminutive stature did not project a prospecting career in rugby. His talent in football was always evident as he not just guided his school team to a place in a local tournament, he also managed to make the trials for the junior national team.

 While playing football in Fiji, a scout from a New Zealand club, Waitakere United selected him on an amateur contract where he played football and coached kids part-time. Scoring 71 goals during his time at Waitakere, the Fijian also won the Golden Boot in 2012-13. His big moment opportunity would finally come at Wellington Phoenix. 

Their main striker was out injured and Krishna was given a three month contract. Within three months, Krishna lit up the league with his exceptional performance and bagged a two year deal. Pushed from pillar to post on the park in plying his career in Australia, Krishna eventually became hard to ignore not only because of his goal-scoring prowess but also his vision and ability to thread passes.

A region better known for fishermen and tourism, Oceania was never seen as a football hotbed. But Roy Krishna vowed to change the views. Once he excelled in the biggest league in that part of the world, the elite leagues came calling. Renowned Dutch club, PSV Eindhoven and historic English club, Derby County came calling but the moves ultimately did not materialise. 

Coming from an island nation, Krishna recently arrived from New Zealand. He barely knew English let alone Dutch. A switch to Europe at that time was a big call for Krishna. Offers also came from MLS team, Colorado Rapids but that was swiftly out under the rug. While many would have knocked off the sod from their boots, got a haircut and put their feelers out for a nine-to-five job. That was not to be for a tenacious Krishna, who kept faith in his instincts. Legendary status is born out of these sort of sacrifices, not selfishness.

 A two year contract extension at The Phoenix saw Krishna smashing all records in A League. In 2018, He surpassed Paul Ifill's record, the very player he replaced at Wellington Phoenix on a two month loan; as the club's leading scorer. He even bagged the Johnny Warren Medal, an award presented to the best footballer in the Australian domestic league. Bagging the A League's golden boot in 2018, Krishna finally decided to take the next step of his career, to ply his trade in the country of his origin: India.

When ATK (now dissolved) signed him in 2019, eyebrows were raised on a top player from a league ranked higher than India’s is coming. On his signing day, The Fijian recalled,

“Almost a century and a half back, his ancestors left Kolkata for Fiji in search of better opportunities. Today I come back to start a similar journey in the Indian Super League.”

While there were doubts on Roy Krishna’s ability to recreate his magic in the ISL, where the game is vastly different from A-League, such inhibitions were soon put to rest as Krishna opened his book as early as his second match against Hyderabad. From there on there was no looking back. Goals kept on coming for The Fijian. At the end of the league season, Krishna finished as the joint highest goal scorer with 15 goals along with 6 assists to his name. A clutch goal in the second leg of the semis win against Bengaluru FC followed by an assist against Chennaiyan in the final proved how pivotal Krishna was in ATK's record third title win.

With the new season, a seismic change occurred in ISL when KGSPL (ATK's owner) dissolved their brand and bought 80% shares of Mohun Bagan Pvt Ltd. As a result, Krishna donned the legendary green and maroon jersey which carried an aura of its own. Krishna was no new to playing for a big team but a new type of challenge engulfed the world in 2020. The deadly COVID pandemic restricted sporting activities and ISL was regulated to a central venue, Goa. The season opener was scheduled as the mega clash between The Mariners and Kerala Blasters.

For a man who had to quarantine for about 40 days, cleared around 10 COVID-19 tests and spent over 50 hours in flights to make it to Goa, Roy Krishna was on the fire in the inaugural match. Troubling the Kerala defenders throughout the first half, It hardly came as a surprise when Krishna pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the penalty box before firing in a well-controlled low shot in the second half. 

Partnering with David Williams, the Aussie-Fiji duo became a nightmare for the defenders notching up 20 goals in between them. Five of Krishna's strikes came as winners against the likes of Kerala Blasters, Odisha, FC Goa and Jamshedpur. He was phenomenal in both the derby games but Injuries to key players and morale-draining defeats saw Mumbai clinch the Shield title.

Although the trophy was out of reach, the stocky ponytailed striker made sure to bag the golden Ball with 14 goals and 8 assists. A never-tiring pair of feet, a never-say-die attitude and an insatiable appetite for goals saw Krishna rescue his side from the jaws of defeat with four match-winning goals after the 75th minute. Whenever The Mariners were down and time was almost up, Roy would deliver the sucker punch to salvage a draw or notch the winning goal.

After a blitzkrieg season speculations began as to whether Krishna would continue with the club or find a new home. Mumbai City made an inquiry and talks were initiated but Mohun Bagan had the last laugh. He extended his contract for another year as the team prepared for the 2021 AFC Cup around Roy. 

On Mohun Bagan Day 2021, Krishna was awarded 'Best Footballer of the Year'. In the AFC Cup, Bagan sailed smoothly winning the group stage with Krishna scoring thrice but calamity struck at The Inter Zonal semi final where FC Nasaf put half a dozen goals resulting in a humiliating loss.

Brushing the AFC campaign aside, Bagan focused on the 2021 ISL campaign. A rejuvenated Mohun Bagan crushed Kerala Blasters in the season opener with a dominating 4-2 win. New signing Boumous became the league's fastest scorer in an opening encounter while Krishna scored a crucial penalty to swing the tie in Mariners favor. 

Post the Kerala visit came the auspicious derby. On a day when nerves of steel conquer earth, Krishna rose valiantly drawing first blood. Pritam Kotal’s dangerous cross found Krishna who would make no trouble swinging a right-footer on the volley past Arindam's far-side to break the deadlock within just 12 minutes! At full time, Bagan had the bragging rights with a 3-0 win, Krishna netting and assisting one. However, Krishna’s form dropped in the subsequent matches as Bagan dropped points as well. The Fijian marksman was able to net only once in the next seven games.

A change of guard was required and head coach Antonio Habas departed. Spanishman, Juan Ferrando saw a breath of fresh air but Krishna was diagnosed with COVID 19 and was sidelined for the majority part of the season. He finished the season with only 7 league goals with his last goal for the club coming  against Maziya in a jubilant 5-2 win in the 2022 AFC Cup group stage. That was the legend’s parting gift.

Now At 37, his club level shows no sign of slowing down. After three years in Kolkata it was time for new challenges and Bengaluru notched him up for a season. After a year, he switched allegiances to Odisha FC under Sergio Lobera and pledged his loyalty to The Kalinga Warriors.

While his ability as a striker has never been in doubt, Roy Krishna’s time in Indian football has also seen him take up the mentor’s role in the team. Whether it's with Manvir Singh, Jayesh Rane and Liston Colaco in Mohun Bagan or Sivasakti, Suresh Wangjam in Bengaluru or Vinit Rai, Amey Ranawade, Isak in Odisha; the Fijian has been an influential figure in the dressing room often coming to the youngsters’ aid. 

It’s a role that he’s played well in the past as well. Especially with the Fijian team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games where he was included as one of the three over-aged players in the squad. Named the captain of the team, the striker also scored Fiji’s first-ever goal at the Olympic with a 10th-minute strike against Mexico.

 As much is talked about his glittering club career, very little is praised on Roy Krishna’s international career. Krishna has represented Fiji with aplomb at international level as well as as an individual. The Fijian made his debut at The South Pacific Games 2007 and has since then been a regular name in the Fijian squad. Three years later, Krishna was also called up to the national Futsal team for the 2010 OFC Futsal Championship. 

His Olympic heroics have been mentioned earlier but few would have imagined that Krishna would continue at a rich form till such ripe age. His legendary status increased multifold, when in 2021 he was announced as the official ambassador of Oceania Football Confederation. At the Pacific Games 2023, Krishna became the all-time leading goal-scorer for the Oceania Federation, after surpassing the record of 34 goals held by Chris Wood of New Zealand. 

That Krishna has only played 59 games for Fiji and is already the country's most-capped player attests to the limitations of Oceania federation. With so few games each year for Fiji, Krishna utilises each and every opportunity presented to him in national colours. For fifteen long years, Roy has proudly served The Bula Boys and created his legacy. In the OFC Nations Cup 2024, Krishna, being the oldest player of the tournament became the top scorer netting 5 times in 5 outings.

It's never easy for players of Krishna's ilk to step outside their comfort zone — moving from Fiji to New Zealand to Australia to finally his country of origin, India but easiness and Roy Krishna do not go in the same sentence. The Fijian’s journey has been nothing short of a fairytale Hollywood script as he keeps on inspiring generations of kids from Oceania to become a Roy Krishna in future.

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