India’s prominence in global football is slowly but surely on the rise. However, little attention is being given to the growing popularity of Indian talent among foreign leagues. This phenomenon is most definitely gaining traction, with some of the wealthiest and most successful clubs in the world increasingly beefing up their scouting operations in India in recent years.
We are likely to see plenty of headlines in the coming years about promising Indian players being scouted to play for the global creme de la creme of football, but what about the ones that are already there? Let’s take a closer look at some of the top Indian footballers currently playing in foreign leagues right now.
Sandesh Jhingan
Probably the most famous Indian footballer currently playing for an overseas league, Sandesh Jhingan is a legend at home who is starting to make a new name for himself in Europe for the first time. When he’s not playing as center-back for the Indian national team or scooping up the coveted Player of the Year India Award, he is playing for the top-flight Croatian team Šibenik, where he moved to earlier this year.
Today, Jhinhan’s fans back home can easily follow the action online, by using a sports betting platform. With digital sportsbook services such as football betting at Space Casino, viewers can place live bets on all of the Šibenik fixtures, for example, betting on Jhingan scoring a goal while the match is actually in-play. Given his strong performance so far this year, expect him to continue progressing.
Dawson Fernandes
30-year-old Dawson Fernandes previously made a name for himself as a striker in his old stomping ground of Goa, where he has played for Sporting Goa and Salgaocar. However, he recently upped sticks and left for the UK, where he currently acts as a striker for Goan United, a team in the Middlesex County Football League.
Ishan Pandita
A New Delhi native who has probably had the fastest rise in Indian football in recent years, 23-year-old Ishan Pandita is a busy boy. He currently plays as a striker for the Indian national team and is on loan at Spanish Tercera Division club Lorca. Never one to fade into the shadows, Pandita has become something of a hero in the small Spanish club he plays for, where he scored six goals in 26 matches, becoming the club’s top goal-scorer last season.
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Bala Devi
Of course, we couldn’t forget about the significant and growing impact that India is having on women’s football right now. This is perhaps best exemplified by Bala Devi, who is currently the forward for the women’s division of the Glasgow Rangers. Born in Manipur, Devi has had a more varied career than most, moving between various teams and leagues in her home state before breaking into the Indian National Team, where she has gained notoriety as a goal-scoring machine after reaching a half-century. She is also a policewoman back home and plans to return to the profession once her time in Scotland comes to a close.
These are some of the most exciting Indian footballers playing overseas right now, all of whom are doing great things.
