Top 10 players with the most appearances in the ISL
Pritam Kotal is the player with the most appearances in the history of the Indian Super League. Let's see who are the other players on the Top 10 list.
Since the arrival of ISL in 2014, it has produced many incredible players. Some of these players were upcoming talents who have been utilized heavily by the clubs and as a result, they have now gone on to make the most appearances in the ISL. Some of the domestic players have been regular starters across the 10 editions. In this article, We'll see the Top 10 list of players with the most appearances in the ISL.
Top 5 players with the most appearances in the ISL
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Kerala Blasters defender Pritam Kotal has been one of India's most consistent performers since the inception of the ISL. Among the players to have made the most appearances in the ISL, Pritam Kotal currently stands in first position with 152 appearances.
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East Bengal's Mandar Rao Desai is the second player with the most number of appearances in the history of the ISL. He also became the first player to record more than 100 appearances in the league. The defender has featured for FC Goa, Mumbai City FC, and East Bengal so far. Desai was one of the integral members of the Mumbai City squad which won their maiden league title in the 2020-21 season.
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Amrinder Ranjit Singh plays as a goalkeeper for Indian Super League club Odisha FC. Odisha FC brought him from Mohun Bagan in the 2022 ISL season. Before moving to Odisha FC in September 2022, Singh made 22 league appearances in total at Mohun Bagan Super Giant. Even before that, Amrinder led Mumbai City FC to their maiden ISL title in the 2020-21 season. He is the third player with the most appearances in the history of the ISL.
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The second top goal scorer of ISL has the 4th most appearances in the competition. The Indian Football Legend has appeared in 141 games. Sunil Chhetri's brilliant run at the international level has been reflected in the way he's performed in Indian domestic football.
The early years saw Chhetri set the I-League on fire and become the highest Indian goal scorer in the league in 2017, he hasn't lost any intensity since moving to the Indian Super League (ISL) in 2015.
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One of India's most experienced defensive midfielders, Lenny occupies the fifth spot on the list of players with the most appearances in the ISL. The 36-year-old has played 141 games in the Indian top flight for erstwhile FC Pune City, Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, ATK Mohun Bagan, and most recently Odisha FC. Rodrigues has scored five goals in 141 appearances.
Top 10 players with the most appearances in the ISL
Former Indian national football team captain Sunil Chhetri has expressed deep concern over the suspension of the Indian Super League and the future of India's footballing ecosystem.
“The current situation that Indian football finds itself in, is very concerning. I’ve received a flurry of texts from players, staff members, physios, masseurs - not just from my club, but from other clubs as well,” Chhetriwrote on his social media handle X (formerly Twitter).
When my phone went off a few weeks ago informing us of a delay in pre-season by a fortnight, I must admit it made me smile. And that’s because I was on vacation, hadn’t moved as much as I would have liked to, and hadn’t been eating as clean as I usually do. I had more time than I… pic.twitter.com/pEGyr8Sp5O
Chhetri, who plays for Bengaluru FC in the ISL, wrote on social media, “I’ve received a flurry of texts from players, staff members, physios, masseurs – not just from my club, but from other clubs as well.
“Everybody in the Indian football ecosystem is worried, hurt, scared about the uncertainty we are faced with,” he added.
There is no new agreement between AIFF and FSDL
The 2025-26 season of the ISL has been put 'on hold' as the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and organising company Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) has not been renewed yet.
The Supreme Court has directed the AIFF not to enter into any new agreement with FSDL until a final decision is taken on the AIFF.
A 15-year agreement was signed in 2010
A 15-year agreement between FSDL and AIFF was signed in 2010, under which FSDL pays Rs 50 crore every year to AIFF in return for the rights to broadcast, manage and promote Indian football (including ISL and the national team).
Please stay calm - Chhetri
Sunil Chhetri appealed to all the players and support staff to maintain patience and support each other. He expressed confidence that football will resume soon. The AIFF has also said that it understands the importance of ISL, but it is compelled to follow the court's order.
“I may not have all the answers, but my message to all those involved with Indian football – and more importantly the ones whose livelihood depends on it, the players, staff, kitmen, masseurs, medical teams, production crews, operations staff – please stay calm.”
“We’ll ride this storm together. Stick together and look out for each other. Keep training and getting better. Football has to resume soon. It will,” Sunil Chhetri shared.
In the world of football, few clubs stand out like Chelsea FC. Their trophy cabinet tells a story of incredible success, proving that they have truly won it all!
With their recent UEFA Conference League 4-1 victory over Real Betis, Chelsea completed a historic sweep of all major UEFA titles, topping up with their 2nd FIFA Club World Cup title, all in 2025.
Here is trophy cabinet of Chelsea FC that defines their successful journey in the football world. Take a look.
European Royalty: Conquering the Continent
Chelsea FC lifting the trophy of UEFA Champions League 2021 after their 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the final. Image | Twitter
Chelsea have battled across the continent's most prestigious stages and won every major UEFA club trophy, a feat few clubs can claim.
Their crowning achivements including 2 UEFA Champions League titles, notable defeating Bayern Munich [1-1 (4-3 pens)] in 2012 and Manchester City (1-0) in 2021.
Beyond the Champions League, Chelsea also lifted the UEFA Europa League twice (2013, 2019), and the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1971, famously against Real Madrid in the replay, and also in 1998.
Additionally, two UEFA Super Cup victories (1998, 2021) further highlight their continental dominance.
The collection was completed with their 2025 UEFA Conference League triumph, where Chelsea FC beat Real Betis 4-1 in the final.
The domestic dominance of Chelsea FC
Chelsea lifting their second FA Cup title in 1997 after defeating Middlesbrough (2-1) in the final. Image | Facebook
Beyond their European conquests, they have also established as masters of England by securing highest domestic honors.
The Blues clinched the First Division/Premier League title and impress six times (1955, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2017) along with eightFA Cup victories (1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018). This makes them the competition's most successful team.
Their domestic dominance also extends to League Cup, which they have won fivetimes in the following years: 1965, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2015.
Completing the Set: Global and Historic Honors
Chelsea FC lifting the FIFA Club World Cup trophy after their 2-1 victory over Palmeiras in 2021. Image | Wikipedia
Chelsea's trophy cabinet truly lives upto the "won it all" status by having a collection of unique, historical, and global titles.
The FIFA Club World Cup win over Palmeiras (2-1) in 2021, made them only London club to win the Champions League as well as the FIFA Club World Cup. More recently, they added their 2nd CWC title after a dominating 3-0 victory over PSG in 2025.
Further adding to their phenomenal collection are fourCharity/Community Shield triumphs (1955, 2000, 2005, 2009), which mark their traditional early-season dominance.
As we move down to the final count, Chelsea also holds two Full Members' Club Victories (1986, 1990).
Top 10: Most Free-kick Goals In Football History (Updated)
Lionel Messi, with his stunning free-kick goal against Nashville for Inter Miami in the MLS 2025, has now moved up to the third position in the top 10 list of most free-kick goals in football history.
Free kicks or set pieces are one of the most effective methods to score a goal. However, it is also the hardest thing in football. But be it from outside the box or 30 yards from the box, free-kicks are one of the most beautiful things to watch in football when done correctly.
In this article, today we will list the player with the most free-kick goals in football history.
Who has scored the most free-kick goals?
This is a regular question asked in football quizzes. To give your answer, it is Juninho Pernambucano from Brazil who has scored the most free-kick goals. He has scored 77 free-kick goals in his career.
Most Free-Kick Goals: Messi or Ronaldo?
Whenever one discusses any football record, you can not leave Messi and Ronaldo out of it. At least, the fans can not leave it out. So, who has scored the most free-kick goals? Messi or Ronaldo?
Lionel Messi has overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of the most free-kick goals scored. Messi now has 69 free-kick goals, whereas Cristiano has 64 free-kick goals.
If we break down the records of both Messi and Ronaldo, Messi has only 5 Champions League goals from the dead ball, and Ronaldo has 12. Messi has scored 58 free-kick goals in his club career, while Ronaldo has 53 against his name.
The Premier League is said to be one of the toughest places to play football. Many greats have failed in the Premier League; however, many have flourished in the league as a legend of the game.
David Beckham has scored the most goals by a free-kick in Premier League history. He has scored as many as 18 times from the dead ball in his Premier League career.
Here is the list of players with the most free-kick goals in the Premier League-
Juninho has scored the most free-kick goals in football history.
Known as the magnificent 7, Juninho was the best when it came to scoring from a dead-ball situation. The former Olympique Lyonnais legend and midfielder scored as many as 77 goals from set-pieces. Juninho is considered the greatest free-kick taker of all time.
He was also the inventor of the knuckle-ball technique shoots as well.
#2 Pele - 70 free-kick goals
Pele taking a free-kick in 1966. Image | X
The king of football, Pele, has scored 70 goals from set pieces. Pele could bend the ball both ways with fierce power.
Moreover, his immense game knowledge to out-think the goalkeeper helped him net the ball more often than not. The Brazilian striker's 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which include friendlies, are recognised as a Guinness World Record.
#3 Lionel Messi: 69 Free-kick goals
Messi after scoring his 69th career free-kick goal, for Inter Miami, against Nashville. Image | Inter Miami
There is hardly any top 10 attacking list or record in football where you will not find the Argentine maestro, Lionel Messi. Although before 2014, Messi was not considered prolific from the dead ball, he has just proved everyone wrong with his free-kick record since then.
Till now, the Argentinian legend has scored 69 free-kick goals. 58 of those have come for the clubs he has played and 11 for Argentina.
More than that, Messi now has scored a free-kick in every 16.1 match, which speaks volumes for his accuracy from the dead-ball position.
The Argentine from the 1970s is considered to be the greatest player in Mendoza football. Along with his stunning shooting ability, Victor was known for his 12 Olympic Goals for Argentina as well. There is a stadium named after him in Argentina.
#5 Ronaldinho- 66 free-kick goals
Ronaldinho scored 66 free-kick goals in his career. Image | Goal
The magician from Brazil was brilliant from any position. Ronaldinho had everything as a footballer. Hence, having the skill to net the ball from a distance was also in his armoury. The Brazilian legend scored 66 goals from set-pieces in his career.
David Beckham taking the famous free-kick that took England to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The famous phrase, "Bend it like Beckham", suggests how good Beckham was when it came to scoring from a free-kick. Beckham scored 65 goals from set-pieces in his career. His free-kick to take England to the 2002 FIFA World Cup is still cherished as one of the best moments in English football.
With his latest free-kick goal in the Saudi Pro League 2024 against Al-Fayha FC, Ronaldo has now moved to the seventh position in the most free-kick goals list. The Portuguese legend now has 64 free-kick goals against his name. With this free-kick goal, Ronaldo now has scored a free-kick goal every season since 2003-04.
Ronaldo till now has scored 53 free-kick goals for the clubs he has featured for and 11 for his national team, Portugal. He has now scored a free-kick in every 20.0 games.
#8 Diego Maradona- 62 free-kick goals
Maradona taking a free-kick in the 1986 FIFA World Cup
The legend of Argentine football is one of the best in the history of the game. Maradona scored nearly 20% of his career goals with free-kicks. His free-kick against Juventus for Napoli is known as the 'Divine Free-Kick'. Diego scored 62 goals from set pieces in his career.
#9 Zico - 62 free-kick goals
Image | Facebook
Brazilian legend Zico scored 62 free-kick goals in his career. He was very accurate in his shooting skills. Zico is considered one of the world's best players of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The attacking midfielder was very accurate with his kicks. Along with his accuracy, his languid run-up was very famous in his era.
The former Barcelona player and manager is known as one of the highest-scoring defenders of all time. The Dutch defensive midfielder also had his share of success with Ajax.
Koeman has scored nearly 25% of his goals with free-kicks. He is one of the high-scoring defenders in his era. Koeman scored 215 goals in his career and is one of the highest-scoring defenders ever.
#11 Rogerio Ceni - 59 goals
To the shock of everyone, Ceni was a goalkeeper and he has scored 59 goals from dead-ball situations in his career. Ceni is the highest-scoring goalkeeper in the history of the game. He has scored 131 goals in his career.
Except for one goal, all of them came from penalties and free-kicks. The Brazilian played for 25 years, most of that for São Paulo.
Marcelinho is nicknamed "Pé-de-Anjo" for his accuracy with free-kicks. The attacking midfielder from Brazil has collected more trophies with Corinthians than any other player in their history. However, Marcelinho failed to feature in any World Cup matches for Brazil. Marcelinho has 505 goals in his career.
There have been several players who led the Indian football team to reach the stage where it is right now. Let’s have a look at top 10 Indian football captains of all time.
Indian football is currently in its growing stage and has gained immense popularity in the last few years. The Indian football team is yet to achieve many big milestones on international level, which are anticipated to get achieved in the upcoming years. With the rise of Indian football over the years, there have been several players who led the Indian football team to reach the stage where it is right now.
Let’s have a look at top 10 Indian football captains of all time.
Top 10 Indian Football Captains
10. Talimeren Ao
Tenure: 1948
The very first captain of independent India, Talimeren Ao led the national side in it's first ever game at the Olympics in 1948.
He played only six times for India, but his name will be long remembered for being the very first captain of the new nation.
Hailing from Nagaland, Ao was a centre-back as well as a qualified physician. There are two stadiums in Assam named after him.
9. Prasun Banerjee
Tenure: 1980
The younger brother of PK Banerjee, Prasun played for India between 1974-1985 and captained the team five times in international tournaments.
He was a defensive midfielder in his playing days, but is currently an MP from Howrah in the Lok Sabha.
8. Mohammed Habib
Tenure: 1965-1975
Represented and captained the side between 1965-1975. Habib was a household name amongst football fans in the country back then with PK Banerjee once calling him 'the Indian Pele'.
7. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
Tenure: Occasional captain
The giant goalie is another who has in recent years been handed the armband by coach Constantine. He led the side out against Puerto Rico in 2016.
6. Jarnail Singh
Tenure: 1965–67
Captained the Indian Football team between 1965-1967. Jarnail Singh was another in the long list of centre-backs to have captained the side.
He was notably named in the Asian All Star team of 1966.
5. Sailen Manna
Tenure: 1949–54
Considered one of the best defenders to pull on the India blue, Manna played 14 times for India between 1948-1956. He captained the side to gold at the Asian Games in 1951.
The English FA back in 1953 rated him amongst the 10 best captains in the world in it's annual yearbook.
4. Chuni Goswami
Tenure: 1960–64
He was one of those multi-sport figures having played international football for India as a striker as well as first-class cricket for the Bengal Ranji Trophy team. He earned 50 caps for India between 1956-1964.
He was captain when India won gold at the Asian Games in 1962 and silver at the Asia Cup two years later.
3. PK Banerjee
Tenure: 1960–61
Made 84 appearances for India and is one of the most distinguished Indian footballers of all time. He scored 65 times for the side after making his debut in 1955. He captained the side at the 1960 Olympics.
2. Bhaichung Bhutia
Tenure: 2000-11
The man who really popularized the game of football in the nineties and noughties, the Sikkimese Sniper Bhaichung Bhutia first became captain in 2000-2011.
The legendary striker who played for over 16 years for the team was captain on numerous occasions including the successful SAFF Championship run in 2005.
1. Sunil Chhetri
Tenure: 2012–24
The current record goalscorer for the national side, Sunil Chhetri has made the armband his since 2012. It started with the AFC Challenge Cup back then and it has been his to lose ever since.
With over 150 caps and 95 goals to his name and many other honours, Chhetri will go down as one of the most successful captains of all time when he hangs up his boots.
Chhetri captained India to a record-extending ninth SAFF Championship title. Not only did he finish as that edition’s top scorer with five goals, he became the joint-highest goalscorer in SAFF championship history with 23 goals, along with Maldives’ Ali Ashfaq.
The Indian Super League (ISL) has consistently served as a launch pad for India’s most promising football talent. Here are top 5 Indian players to watch in ISL 2025.
The Indian Super League (ISL) has consistently served as a launch pad for India’s most promising football talent. The ISL 2024-25 season was no different, with young stars lighting up the league and charting the future course of Indian football.
Here are top 5 Indian players to watch in ISL 2025.
Dippendu Biswas, 21, made 14 appearances in a star-studded MBSG line-up and carved an impact with his defensive contributions, comprising 14 interceptions and victorious tackles each, 42 duels won and 39 recoveries.
He also occasionally delivered upfront; producing a goal and two assists and was named the ISL Emerging Player of the Month for February 2025.
2. Vinith Venkatesh | Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru FC has a track record of producing young talent for the nation. With Gerard Zaragoza in the managerial position, one of the players who made his mark this season is Vinith Venkatesh.
The 19-year-old impressed many with his dribbling and passing ability. A passing accuracy of 80per cent alongside 191 successful passes and 9 successful dribbles in only 602 minutes makes him a great prospect for the Blues’ future. Vinith has not only got a solitary goal and two assists to his name this ISL season but has also scored twice against Mohammedan SC and once against Mohun Bagan in the Durand Cup.
3. Brison Fernandes | FC Goa
Another player that has been a break-out talent this year is Brison Fernandes. From Goa’s under 18 team to being an out right starter, it has been quite a rise for Brison.
Brison has managed to impress with his dribbling and shooting capability scoring seven goals and assisting twice. The 23-year-old created 27 chances for the Gaurs and provided 25 key passes into the final third. With his direct play, the left-winger emerged as one of the most exciting young Indian players to watch this season.
4. Tekcham Abhishek Singh | Punjab FC
In only his second ISL campaign, defender Tekcham Abhishek Singh impressed with returns that saw him become the player with the third-most interceptions (47).
The 20-year-old won seven aerial duels, 17 tackles, 23 clearances, in addition to making 70 recoveries, while forming an impeccable partnership with Nikhil Prabhu, who made the most interceptions in the league in the season gone by (56).
NorthEast United made it to the play-offs after three years, while most of the credits go to its foreign players like Alaaeddine Ajaraie and Nestor Albiach, a player that went under the radar is young midfielder Macarton Nickson.
With 21 appearances and a passing accuracy of 73 per cent, he has really shone under Juan Pedro Benali this season. The 21-year-old has established himself as a box to box midfielder providing both in defence and attack.
Defensively, Macarton has 97 recoveries and 13 interceptions. In attack as well, he has been able to support by providing 2two goals, one assists and 22 successful dribbles making him a beautiful player to watch.