ISL Awards: Nerijus Valskis, Hugo Boumous win big

Both Indians and foreigners were rewarded for their fine work this season.

The ISL 2019-20 concluded with ATK securing a 3-1 victory against Chennaiyin FC in the final at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa on Saturday. What followed after the final whistle was jubilation in the Kolkata camp, which was further enlarged with the squad receiving the ‘Champions’ medal and the winning prize of ₹8 crores in the presentation ceremony. However, several other individual ISL awards were also handed out, the details of which we are listing below:

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Season Awards

Winning Pass of the League - Hugo Boumous

FC Goa’s talisman, Hugo Boumous won the Winning Pass of the League in the ISL awards, having recorded the highest number of assists in the campaign. He setup 10 goals in 15 matches, playing as a #10 behind Ferran Corominas. Boumous’ fantastic form was a key reason why Goa finished the season with an AFC Champions League spot.  

Golden Glove – Gurpreet Singh Sandhu 

Bengaluru’s defensive line was watertight this season and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s majestic presence in between the sticks helped the Blues register 11 clean-sheets. Sandhu also made 49 saves and conceded merely 14 goals in the 19 matches that he appeared in.

Once again, Gurpreet proved that he is the best goalkeeper in the league, as he won the Golden Glove in the ISL awards.

Golden Boot - Nerijus Valskis 

Just as Chennaiyin’s season embarked on a resurgence from December onward, Nerijus Valskis’ goalscoring boots regained their touch too.

The Lithunian eventually finished with the Golden Boot in the ISL, having scored 15 goals and bagging six assists. Valskis was relentless in his quest for goals, making several close attempts even in the final against ATK.

Emerging Player of the League - Sumit Rathi

Sumit Rathi had a breakout season this time around, as he started off as a rookie and swiftly developed to become one of the mainstays in ATK’s backline. The club persisted with the youngster during his troublesome injury period and he repaid the faith, whilst also registering figures such as 115 clearances, 19 interceptions and 18 blocks in the 14 appearances he made.

Hero of the League - Hugo Boumous

Hugo Boumous had a peerless run this season, notching 11 goals and recording 10 assists in 15 encounters. He ran the show from the front for FC Goa and his absence was dearly missed in the defeat in the first leg of the semi-finals. It was a match that proved to be detrimental for their qualification chances to the finale of the competition.

For his contribution to FC Goa's 2019-20 season, the Moroccan was nominated as the Hero of the League in the ISL.

Awards for the final

Club Award - ATK

For the better part of the season, ATK were in the shadows of the duo of FC Goa and Bengaluru FC. The other two clubs were deemed as the ultimate favorites to clinch the ISL title, but Antonio Lopez Habas’ men proved the doubters wrong, as they embarked on a consistent run of positive results and carried on that momentum in the premier encounter against Chennaiyin FC.

ATK controlled the tempo of the game right from the very beginning and the scoreline completely justifies the dominance they exerted over proceedings.

Limitless Player of the Match - Javier Hernandez

Javier Hernandez opened the scoring and finished it off with a couple of clean strikes to round off the encounter. His run for the first goal was very timely and clever, whilst the second one came in the final minute of injury-time and added further misery upon Chennaiyin. He dummied Vishal Kaith and displayed excellent footwork to get past the defenders to slot the ball into the back of the net.

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ISL Emerging Player of the Match - Sumit Rathi 

Rathi was persistent with his efforts as he made a whopping 20 clearances, which further demonstrates his alertness and understanding of the delicate moments in a game. He also made an interception and a block each in the 90 minutes he spent on the field.

Hero of the Match - Arindam Bhattacharya

Arindam faced a total of six shots on goal and he saved five of them brilliantly. Valskis tested the goalkeeper numerous times, but he showed incredible agility, concentration and game awareness to deny Chennaiyin from converting their goalscoring chances. He also made five punches and was constantly involved in the game.