India may be behind other nations in football, but there’s no lack of money. Hence, clubs spend immense amounts to bring in the finest professionals in the Indian Super League
Any tournament in the world becomes prominent with the aid of quality players along with the appropriate handling of the event in terms of sponsor, venues, management of the players and the inclusion of small businesses. Back in 2014, the Indian Super League made a monumental entrance in the Indian football space. With the help of powerful sponsors, the League turned out to be better than the previous existing leagues. The wealthy club owners spared no expense to ensure that their clubs had everything to secure the league. From training equipment to support personnel and world-class managers, they drew in all.
To purchase players, the clubs started pouring huge amounts which were neither predicted nor noticed in the past. In this feature, let’s run through some of the most expensive signings in the Indian Super League (ISL).
Nicolás LadislaoFedor Flores
Commonly recognized as MikuFedor, the Venezuelan player used to play for Spanish club Rayo Vallecano. In 2017, the player moved from the Spanish club to the Indian club of Bengaluru FC with a whopping transfer value of 1.10 million dollars. After spending a short stint with Bengaluru, the player departed to join Cyprus club, Omonia Nicosia.
Marcelinho Leite Pereira
The player from Brazilsaw a move to Delhi Dynamos in 2016 for an identical price of 1.10 million dollars. However, the player left Delhi and secured a move to Avai FC from Brazil. In 2017, he again got back to India to play for club Pune with a price-tag of 8,25,000 dollars. After spending two years with Pune, the player joined club Hyderabad at 6,60,000 dollars.
Edu Garcia
Edu Garcia is an exemption in this list as the player was not acquired but was traded for a vast value to another club. Playing for Bengaluru FC, the player created a name for himself by recording several goals and assists. His outstanding performance caught the eye of Chinese club Zhejiang Greentown. The Chinese side purchased the player by paying an amount of close to one crore.
Gary Hooper
Gary Hooper has spent a good load of time with several English clubs such as Southend United, Leyton Orient, Norwich and Sheffield Wednesday. The player also had a stint with club Celtic. His practice in the English league made him a primary preference for club Kerala Blasters, who signed him by granting an amount of 1.32 million dollars.
