Top five foreign goalscorers in history of Indian Super League

Several foreign players have scored plenty of goals and lead the goalscoring charts.

Indian football has seen many exemplary foreign players feature for their respective clubs through the Indian Super League. The advent of the competition led to an influx of foreign talent, resulting in an increase in the overall quality of football. In the past seasons of the ISL, foreign players have played key roles in helping various clubs achieve success. The 2021-22 campaign finally saw the record for the all-time leading ISL goalcorer being broken by Bartholomew Ogbeche.

The Nigerian is arguably the best foreign player to step in the ISL and has the stats to back the claim. Many clubs prefer to put their faith in foreign players due to their quality in the attacking department. As a result, the ISL developed a reputation for being attacking in nature for the past seven seasons and the ongoing eighth. Owing to this, many high-profile and lesser-known foreigners bagged record-breaking goals.

Shifting the focus on these foreign players and their goalscoring feats, here are the top five with the highest number of goals in ISL history: 

5. Iain Hume - 28 goals in 69 matches

Iain Hume last played in the Indian Super League during the 2018-19 season for the now defunct FC Pune City. He joined the league by signing for Kerala Blasters during the inaugural season, with English league football experience under his belt. The Canadian international played 69 overall matches and scored 28 goals for various teams.

The striker also played for Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) before joining Pune City. Moreover, Hume also won the ISL title during the 2016 edition with the Kolkata-based club.

4. Marcelinho - 33 goals in 81 matches

Brazilian Marcelinho took the league by storm upon his arrival by winning the Golden Boot in his debut season. He joined the ISL by signing for erstwhile Delhi Dynamos in August 2016, scoring 10 goals in the very first season. In total, he has 33 goals in 81 matches and currently plays for NorthEast United. The Brazilian winger left the ISL after an unsuccessful stint with Odisha FC and a loan spell with ATK Mohun Bagan.

However, earlier this season, he agreed to sign for I-League club Rajasthan United. Since the temporary suspension of that competition due to COVID-19 breaches, Marcelinho returned to the ISL by signing for the Highlanders on loan. 

3. Roy Krishna - 33 goals in 54 matches

Roy Krishna had an instant impact with ATK on his arrival in the ISL as well. He came to the league with a lot of promise after success in the Australian A-League. Since coming to India, Krishna has scored 33 goals in merely 54 matches. The Fiji international won the ISL title with ATK in 2019-20, finishing as the joint-top scorer with 15 goals.

Moreover, he continues to impress while representing ATK Mohun Bagan, guiding them to the final of the previous year’s campaign. He will surely add more goals to his tally in the forthcoming games. 

2. Ferran Corominas - 48 goals in 57 matches

Ferran Corominas is the second-highest foreigner in the ISL's all-time goalscoring charts. He scored 48 goals in merely 57 matches and also had 16 assists during that time. Thus, the Spaniard made 64 goal contributions in his time in the ISL.

Popularly known as “Coro,” he played only for FC Goa. In each of the three seasons, the 39-year-old managed goals in double figures, winning the Golden Boot in the first two of them.

1. Bartholomew Ogbeche - 49 goals in 70 matches

Bartholomew Ogbeche is the holder of the all-time goalscoring record in the ISL. His tally stands at 49 goals at the moment, in 70 appearances. He was able to surpass the mark of 48 set by Ferran Corominas because of his exceptional quality. The Nigerian arrived in the ISL during the 2018-19 season by signing for NorthEast United.

His next destination was Kerala Blasters and he then joined Mumbai City FC, helping them to the ISL League Winners' Shield and title last year. He is currently playing for Hyderabad FC and is leading the goalscoring charts with 14 goals in 13 matches.

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