Table of Contents
Odisha FC has announced that Spanish legend and World Cup winner David Villa will be joining their football committee. The 39-year-old would be the head of the club’s global football operations as well.
Odisha CEO Rohan Sharma welcomed the former Valencia, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid man to the club and expressed that it has been a great journey for him from watching the star player on his TV to working with the man.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to welcome David Villa and the DV7 group to the Odisha FC family! It’s crazy to think that when I started watching football I used to see David on my TV. Now together we are trying to help grow football in Odisha.”
he stated.
Villa is one of the biggest names to be associated with an Indian Super League club, but he is certainly not the only World Cup winner to come to India and associate himself with the ISL.
Let’s have a look at the top five star players who have either played in the ISL or managed one of the ISL clubs over the last seven seasons of the league’s existence.
#5 Diego Forlan (Mumbai City)
Diego Forlan represented Uruguay in three different FIFA World Cups, helping his nation reach the semi-final in the 2010 edition of the World Cup. He won the ‘Golden Ball’ in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was the joint top-scorer of the tournament as well.
Forlan represented Manchester United for a couple of seasons while the Uruguyuan also represented Villareal, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan before moving back to South America. In his time at Atletico Madrid, Forlan won the Europa League and became a fan-favorite at the club.
Forlan signed with Mumbai City for the 2016 season of the Indian Super League and scored 5 goals in 12 matches, helping the Islanders qualify for the playoffs for the first time. The hattrick scored by the veteran forward against Kerala Blasters has been embedded into the club’s history.
#4 Robert Pires (Goa)
Robert Pires was part of the legendary France squad that won both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2000 UEFA Euro Cup as well. Pires earned 79 caps for his country in an eight-year international career scoring 14 times and provided many vital assists as well.
Pires spent five years at Metz in France where he won Coupe de la Ligue before moving to Marseille for a couple of years. Post that, Pires moved to Arsenal and was part of the ‘Invincibles’ team at the club that won the league title in the 2003-04 Premier League season. Pires lifted the FA Cup thrice in his time with the Gunners, won the league twice, and finished as the runner-up in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final.
Pires came out of retirement to join Goa ahead of the inaugural season of the ISL, but due to lack of fitness, the Frenchman only featured in eight matches and was able to score a solitary goal for the Gaurs.
#3 Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters)
Dimitar Berbatov earned 78 caps for Bulgaria in his 11-year international career and scored 48 goals for the country, and is the record goalscorer for Bulgaria to date. Berbatov’s only appearance in a major tournament came in the 2004 Euros, but Bulgaria failed to make it past the group stage.
Berbatov failed to win any trophies at the international level but won numerous accolades in club football. Berbatov scored 69 goals in 154 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen and then moved to Tottenham Hotspur. After spending a couple of years in London, Berbatov moved to Manchester United, where he won the Premier League title once, League Cup twice, and the FIFA Club World Cup as well.
Berbatov joined Kerala Blasters ahead of the 2017-18 ISL season and was sparingly used as a substitute or as a defensive midfielder. The Bulgarian left the club after an unsuccessful season for the Blasters scoring only a solitary goal in nine matches.
#2 Roberto Carlos (Delhi Dynamos)
Roberto Carlos had a fairly successful international career as the left-back earned 125 caps and even scored 11 goals, with most of the goals coming from free-kicks. Carlos won the 2002 FIFA World Cup with Brazil and won the Copa America twice as well.
Carlos spent 11 years at Real Madrid and redefined the role of a left-back in world football on his sheer ability with the ball at his feet. The Brazilian won 4 La Liga titles and 3 UEFA Champions League trophies in his long stint with the Los Blancos.
Carlos joined Delhi Dynamos ahead of the 2015 season as a marquee player cum manager and led the club to a top-four finish. The player cum manager made only three appearances for the Dynamos, but the team enjoyed playing under his leadership, and it showed on the pitch.
#1 Marco Materazzi (Chennaiyin)
Marco Materazzi had one of the most eventful international careers being a central defender. After making brief appearances in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2004 UEFA Euro Cup, Materazzi played a pivotal role in Italy winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup as he scored the equalizer in the final and had a role in the sending of France’s Zinedine Zidane as well.
Materazzi spent most of his club career at Inter Milan, winning the Serie A title five times (thrice under Roberto Mancini and twice under Jose Mourinho), and the Italian defender also won the UEFA Champions League in the 2009-10 season before leaving the club in 2011.
The Italian was signed by Chennaiyin FC as a player-manager ahead of the inaugural season of the Indian Super League. He made 6 appearances for the Chennai-based club in the 2014 ISL season, leading them to a playoffs place where they eventually lost in the semi-finals. In the 2015 ISL season, Materazzi took the full-time managerial role and led Chennaiyin to win first-ever ISL title.
