Indian Football: Role of African players in Indian Leagues
In the last few decades, Indian football has housed several talented African players who exhibited exceptional performances in the National Football League (NFL), I-League and the Indian Super League (ISL).
Bartholomew Ogbeche (Nigeria)They made India their home investing all of their energy and time in these professional leagues for quite some time. Here, we have listed some of the most notable African players to have played in India.
Bartholomew Ogbeche (Nigeria)
Nigerian striker Bartholomew Ogbeche has had a brilliant run in various football leagues in India. He is considered one of the best African players in the Indian Super League (ISL) era. He played an important role in pushing North-East United to the play-off in the 2017-18 season, netting 12 goals in 18 games. Even after his transfer to the Kerala Blasters, he went ahead and secured 15 in 16 matches for the following season.
Suley Musah (Ghana)
Centre-back Suley Musah joined East Bengal in 1998 and played there for five years. He won the NFL thrice, CFL six times and the Durand Cup twice. The defender now has 41 goals to his name for the Bengal giants.
Uga Okpara (Nigeria)
Nigerian defender Uga Okpara played for the Bengal giants for five years between 2009 and 2014 (participated in the I-League, Federation Cup and the AFC Cup). He received the title of best defender in the 2012-13 I-League season. He now has three Federation Cups (2009-10, 2010, 2012), a Super Cup (2011) and a quadruple of the CFL between 2010-2013.
Chima Okorie (Nigeria)
Nigerian Chima Okorie enhanced the appeal of Indian football and was the poster boy for African football players in the late 80s and early 90s. In his playing days in Kolkata clubs first at East Bengal and Mohun Bagan respectively, he netted 235 goals across all competitions. He was a key factor in Mohun Bagan's first NFL win in the 1997-98 season.
Chidi Edeh (Nigeria)
Nigerian striker Chidi Edeh marks the early period of Indian football and now holds the record for being the fourth-highest goalscorer in the NFL and I-League combined. His best moments were recorded between 2009-and 2014 when he represented the Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Salgaocar.
He won his maiden I-League with Dempo in the 2007-08 season. In 2014 he became the fifth player to score 100 I-League goals.
Odafa Okolie (Nigeria)
Nigerian footballer Odafa Okolie grabbed the golden boot in the NFL for four years in a row between 2006 and 2010 during his time in Churchill Brothers. He also played for Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan and Sporting Goa while in India. He won the I-League in the 2008-09 season and the Federation Cup twice (2007, 2009).
Ranti Martins (Nigeria)
Randi Martins stands as the top-scorer of the NFL/I-League for six seasons spawning over 10 years. He amassed 198 goals in 213 appearances across all clubs and competitions in India. The Dempo icon won the NFL twice and I-League thrice with the Goan club. He sacked the Federation Cup in 2004. Martin's East Bengal career concluded with two CFL titles between 2014 and 2016. The African striker received the I-League foreigner of the year in 2011-12 and 2012-13.