The Indian Super League made an alteration to the foreign player quota of the franchises ahead of the 2020-’21 campaign in line with the recommendations of the Asian Football Confederation.
From the upcoming season, all eleven teams needed to include a player from an AFC affiliated country as one of their overseas players. Teams could still sign a minimum of five and a maximum of seven foreign players, but one of them had to be from an AFC country.
The ISL clubs have often overlooked fellow AFC countries for its overseas talent with maximum players coming from Spain, thanks to the high number of head coaches hailing from that country.
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In the 2019-’20 campaign, the league had only three players from AFC affiliated nations, a tally that was the all-time highest in the history of the competition. However, with rule changes, teams have shifted their attention to AFC affiliated players and have largely recruited from Australia. Nine out of the eleven AFC affiliated players signed are from Down Under.
Here’s a look at each one of these players that are set to star in the league this season:
David Williams (ATK Mohun Bagan)
Nationality: Australia
Position: Striker
Age: 32
Signed from: ATK
Williams starred in the ATK side that won the ISL last season, scoring seven goals and producing five assists in the process. He forged a potent partnership with fellow ATK striker Roy Krishna and will look to take that union to the next level this season.
The 32-year-old was signed by ATK from Wellington Phoenix and has spent most of his career in Australia. He also had a short stint with Danish club Brondby. Williams has made two appearances for Australia’s senior national team way back in 2008.
ATK Mohun Bagan would be hoping for another top season from their Australian who scored a brace in their semi-final second leg win over Bengaluru FC last season.
Erik Paartalu (Bengaluru FC)
Nationality: Australia
Position: Midfielder
Age: 34
Signed from: Bengaluru FC player since 2017
Paartalu has been a mainstay in the Bengaluru FC midfield since 2017 and played a key role in their run to the final in 2018 and their triumph a year later. One short of 50 games for the club, Paartalu has seven goals and as many assists in his time at the club. His towering presence in midfield is a handful for any Indian side and the Australian was also a big threat on set-pieces last season.
Paartalu, who has two appearances for Australia, has played in his homeland, Qatar, China, Thailand and South Korea throughout his career.
He was the man of the match in Bengaluru’s 1-0 semi-final first leg win over ATK and Carles Cuadrat would hope he’ll continue to win more midfield battles
Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev (Chennaiyin FC)
Nationality: Tajikistan
Position: Winger
Age: 30
Signed from: FC Khujand
Fatkhuloev will be the first Tajikistan player to play in the ISL. The tricky winger has been signed to replaces Andre Schembri who retired at the end of last season.
Having played most of his football in his homeland, Fathuloev has made 68 appearances for the national team and has scored nine goals for Tajikistan. He has also had stints in Indonesia and Uzbekistan but his best time was with FC Istiklol, a football club in Dushanbe.
A player with great technical ability, he should gel well with the likes of Anirudh Thapa and Lallianzuala Chhangte.
Scott Neville (SC East Bengal)
Nationality: Australia
Position: Right back
Age: 31
Signed from: On loan from Brisbane Roar
Neville, a son of former Sheffield United footballer Steve, is a right-back that has joined Robbie Fowler’s East Bengal on loan from Brisbane Roar where the Liverpool great was a manager.
Neville has played all his life in Australia featuring for clubs like Perth Glory, Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers. He was part of the Glory side that won the A-League Premiers title (league stage winners of A-League) in 2019.
He hasn’t featured for the senior Australian national team but has played for the country’s U-23 team. He has 12 goals and 13 assists from a full-back position in his career. He is among only three foreign full-backs in the league.
James Donachie (FC Goa)
Nationality: Australia
Position: Centre-back
Age: 27
Signed from: On loan from Newcastle Jets
Donachie has been signed by FC Goa on loan from A-League side Newcastle Jets and has the responsibility of filling in for Carlos Pena. The 27-year-old has spent most of his career in Australia playing for Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar.
He was part of the Victory side that won the A-League in 2017-’18 season. A two-time National Youth League player of the year, Donachie appeared for the Australia U-20 and U-23 side but could never make the cut to the senior team. At FC Goa, he is the only non-Spanish foreigner.
Joel Chianese (Hyderabad FC)
Nationality: Australia
Position: Striker/ Winger
Age: 30
Signed from: Perth Glory
Chianese joined Hyderabad after four seasons at A-League side Perth Glory. The Australian netted 14 times in 87 matches for Glory. Having risen to prominence with his time at Sydney FC where he spent three years, Chianese had stints in Malaysia before he returned to his homeland with Australia.
The 30-year-old can play both as a centre-forward or out wide. With Aridane Santana in the mix, Chianese may have to operate on the wings at Hyderabad.
Nick Fitzgerald (Jamshedpur FC)
Nationality: Australia
Position: Striker/ Winger
Age: 28
Signed from: Newcastle Jets
Fitzgerald, who primarily plays as a forward, is a two-time A-League champion and a player primarily brought in to play second fiddle to Nerijus Valskis. With Jackichand Singh also in the ranks, Fitzgerald will have a fight on his hands to find a place in Own Coyle’s squad.
Fitzgerald has played in Australia all his life with the bigger stints coming in at Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne City. Playing for Newcastle Jets, he scored just three times in 20 matches and will be looking to revive his career in India.
Jordan Murray (Kerala Blasters)
Nationality: Australia
Position: Striker
Age: 25
Signed from: Central Coast Mariners
Murray, one of the younger AFC players in the ISL this season, arrives in India after a two-year stint with A-League side Central Coast Mariners. After being on a scoring spree in Australian semi-professional football, Murray was offered a contract by the Mariners in 2018.
The Australian appeared 41 times for the A-League outfit, scoring seven times in the process. He would mostly be a deputy to Gary Hooper at Kerala Blasters but just 25, he could still improve under Kibu Vicuna’s guidance. With some exciting young Indian players around, Murray’s best spell might just be around the corner.
Cy Goddard (Mumbai City FC)
Nationality: Japan
Position: Midfielder
Age: 21
Signed from: On loan from Benevento
By far the most exciting among all the players from AFC affiliated nations, the 21-year-old Goddard will join a star-studded team at Mumbai City FC. Joining from Serie B side Benevento on loan, Goddard spent last season on loan at Cypriot side Pafos where he made six appearances.
A former Tottenham trainee, Goddard had appeared for the club’s U-18 and U-21 sides. However, he joined Benevento after rejecting a contract extension at Spurs but failed to make an impact in Italy.
The London-born forward will look to start his career afresh in India and Sergio Lobera’s Mumbai City FC might be a good place to do it.
Dylan Fox (NorthEast United)
Nationality: Australia
Position: Centre-back
Age: 26
Signed from: Central Coast Mariners
The 26-year old centre-back, signed from Central Coast Mariners, played 11 times for the A-league side last season and will look to lead the Highlanders’ defence this season. The best spell of his career so far came at New Zealand side Wellington Phoenix where he was awarded the Players’ Player of the year award in the 2017-’18 season. He finished close second to ATK striker Roy Krishna for the Player of the year prize.
Fox had an unsuccessful stint in South Korea and will hope his time in India is fruitful.
Jacob Tratt (Odisha FC)
Nationality: Australia
Position: Centre-back/Right back
Age: 26
Signed from: Perth Glory
A versatile defender, the 26-year-old Tratt would in all likelihood partner former Newcastle United player Steven Taylor at the heart of the Odisha defence. Having got his career up and running at Sydney FC and Perth Glory, Tratt would be hoping to maintain an upward trajectory in his career.
He was part of the Sydney FC side that won the A-League title in 2018-’19 season. A towering figure, Tratt along with Taylor would dominate most strikers in an aerial battle.