Top 10 Best Indian Origin Football Players (Currently Ranked)

The prospect of Indian origin players playing in Europe and featuring for the Indian Football team seems to be close to becoming a reality. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has recently hinted at obtaining approval for Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) players to feature for the national team, aiming to strengthen multiple areas of the Indian team.

For the time being, there are various footballers of Indian origin who are playing in Europe right now. Some are featured in prominent European first divisions, while others play key roles in second division teams as well. These players can significantly improve the threat and competitive levels of the Indian side if given a chance. Here we look at the top 10 best Indian Origin footballers around.

Ranking Factors

It’s safe to claim that one cannot rate the quality of footballers without taking into consideration some key factors. Not only are goal contributions vital to establish a footballer, but also their overall performances and overall work when it comes to passing, defending, and chance creation. Here are some key factors taken into consideration when ranking these players.

Current Club & League Level: This metric pertains to the quality of competitive level that the footballer is performing at. It considers the competitiveness and overall quality of the league in which the footballer is playing and the prestige of the club they’re playing for as well.

Youth Career: This takes into consideration the performances of the said footballer in their youth career. It looks into key metrics such as goals, assists and caps won by the footballer for their youth team. Performance Stats (Position-Specific)

Goalkeepers: When it comes to ranking goalkeepers in this list, the key metrics such as the Clean Sheets managed by the goalkeeper and their Save Percentage, which involves Saves Per 90 minutes, are considered.

Defenders: For the defenders considering here, their vital contributions in matches such as interceptions, tackles won, and clearances are all considered with a per 90 minutes metric.

Midfielders: When it comes to midfielders in here, key contributions such as Goals and Assists are considered. Moreover, other aspects of a midfielder, like Progressive Passes and Progressive Carries, are considered with a per 90 minutes metric.

Forwards: For the wingers and centre-forwards in this list, the key aspects such as Expected Goals (xG), Goals, and Assists are all considered with a key per 90 minutes metric.

Top 10 Indian Origin Footballers in Europe

Now that we’ve had a look at the ranking factors for the footballers, here we rank the top-10 Indian origin footballers currently playing their trade in Europe.

Rank	Player	Age	Club	League
10	Joshua Pynadath	23	Dondrecht	Eerste Divisie
9	Mal Benning	31	Shrewsbury Town	League One
8	Brandon Khela	20	Birmingham City	League One
7	Harpreet Ghotra	22	Eintracht Frankfurt II	Regionliga Sudwest
6	Adrian Pereira	25	Rosenborg	Eliteserien
5	Luciano Narsingh	34	Nea Salamis Famagusta	Cyprus First Division
4	Dilan Markanday	23	Blackburn Rovers	EFL Championship
3	Danny Batth	34	Blackburn Rovers	EFL Championship
2	Sarpreet Singh	26	Uniao Leiria	Liga Portugal 2
1	Yan Dhanda	26	Hearts	Scottish Premiership

Who is the Best Indian Origin Football Player in the World?

There are a number of quality Indian origin footballers currently playing across many leagues in Europe. It is tricky to pinpoint the exact ‘best’ footballers who are performing at a high level in competitive European leagues. By considering a number of metrics such as their performances at the top level and the quality of competition they are playing in, we have tracked down the 10 best Indian Origin players to be actively playing in Europe right now. Here we expand more about those 10 best Indian origin football players.

10. Joshua Pynadath (Dondrecht FC & Eerste Divisie)

Joshua Pynadath had an illustrious youth career, becoming the first Indian descent player to enroll in the Real Madrid academy. He also spent time in the Ajax Youth system and made eight appearances for Jong Ajax.

The 23-year-old winger is currently playing for Dutch second division side Dondrecht FC, having bagged one assist in 12 league games in the 2024/25 season and averaged 2.2 duels won per game. He’s a skillful, speedy winger with plenty of tricks up his sleeve, and he’s hoping to climb the ranks in the Dutch system with Dordrecht.

Stats	Season 2024/25
Appearances	12
Goals and Assists	1 Assist
Transfer Value	€47,000

9. Mal Benning (Shrewsbury Town & League One)

Mal Benning has been a hard-working and proactive left-back for Shrewsbury Town over the last few years and has been doing a solid job in League One. The 31-year-old is a defensively sturdy figure who helped his side keep four clean sheets in the 2024/25 season, as well as averaging 3 possession recoveries and 3 clearances per game.

He also managed to get eight vital goal contributions for his side, showing incisiveness in moving into key goal areas with his speedy run and prolific final product, being one of Shrewsbury’s better players despite their relegation.

Stats	Season 2024/25
Appearances	44
Goals and Assists	3 Goals and 5 Assists
Transfer Value	€130,000

Also Read: Top 10 Best Young Players in the World 2025 | Ranked

8. Brandon Khela (Birmingham City & League One)

Brandon Khela was the first Indian-origin player to sign a professional contract for Birmingham City. The 20-year-old has impressed with his performances on loan for Scottish Championship side Ross County and League Two side Bradford City in the past. He stood out for Birmingham City’s U18 side, scoring three goals in 18 appearances for them.

An energetic and industrious midfielder, he averaged 3.1 possession recoveries and 2.4 tackles per game in the 2024/25 League Two and even helped Bradford City get promoted to League One. Khela’s stock keeps rising, and he seems destined to become an industrious part of Birmingham City in the future.

Stats	Season 2024/25
Appearances	15
Goals and Assists	3 Assists
Transfer Value	€180,000

7. Harpreet Ghotra (Eintracht Frankfurt II & Regionaliga Sudwest)

Harpreet Ghotra has come up through the Eintracht Frankfurt academy and has become a reliable player for the Eintracht Frankfurt II side. He made 11 appearances for the Eintracht Frankfurt reserves last season, helping them keep two clean sheets and playing in a variety of roles that included as a midfielder and as a right-back. The 22-year-old is pushing to get a promotion to the Eintracht Frankfurt senior team, and keeps catching the eye with his performances.

Stats	Season 2024/25
Appearances	11
Clean Sheets	2 clean sheet
Transfer Value	€50,000

6. Adrian Pereira (Rosenborg & Eliteserien)

Adrian Pereira has connections to Indian heritage through his great-grandfather, and his dad, Thomas Pereira, was also a noted left-back who made eight appearances for Norway. Adrian is a vibrant left-back who loves to bomb up and down the pitch to cause trouble, as he provided one assist in the 2024/25 Eliteserien season for Rosenborg.

He is also an alert and proactive defender who is sharp with his duel-winning ability and helped his side keep seven clean sheets last season, as well as proving his versatility by playing as a right-back and left-back!

Stats	Season 2024/25
Appearances	12
Clean Sheets	7 clean sheets
Transfer Value	€1.2 million

5. Luciano Narsingh (Nea Salamis Famagusta FC & Cyprus First Division)

A product of the Ajax academy, Luciano Narsingh has had a pretty decorated career in which he’s played for the likes of PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, winning the league title twice and even provided 22 assists in the 2011/12 Eredivisie for Heerenveen. He has 19 international caps for the Netherlands and has scored four international goals too. He has also played in the Premier League for Swansea City and currently plays for the Cyprus side Nea Salamis Famagusta FC.

A skillful winger who can play on both wings, Narsingh still possesses decent pace and a cutting edge style that allows him to be a menace for defenders, as he proved by averaging 3.8 dribbles per game in the 2024/25 campaign.

Stats	Season 2024/25
Appearances	12
Goals and Assists	1 Goal
Transfer Value	€105,000

Also Read: Top 10 Best Goalkeeper in the World (2025 Ranking Updated!)

4. Dilan Markanday (Blackburn Rovers & EFL Championship)

Dilan Markanday has come up through the Tottenham Hotspur academy and is currently pushing for a prominent role at Blackburn Rovers. He has enjoyed loan spells at clubs like Aberdeen, Chesterfield, and Leyton Orient, being especially prolific with the latter loan. He is a fast, tricky winger who loves outwitting defenders with his speedy movement and sharp execution in the final third.

Markanday proved his hard-working nature by averaging 2.9 duels won per 90 and 1 tackle won per 90 in the 2024/25 season, showing that he can resolve his defensive work, all while being a menacing threat on the counterattack.

Stats	Season 2024/25
Appearances	16
Goals and Assists	3 Goals and 1 Assist
Transfer Value	€340,000

3. Danny Batth (Blackburn Rovers & EFL Championship)

Danny Batth is a veteran defender in the English football scene after having played in it for over 15 years now. He spent nine years at the Wolves academy and made over 200 appearances for the club, as well as making over 100 appearances for Stoke City from 2019-2022.

He is currently playing in the EFL Championship for Blackburn Rovers, helping them keep 11 clean sheets in the 2024/25 season by averaging 6.5 clearances and 1 interception per game. The 6’4′ defender can be a bullish figure for forwards because of his duel-winning ability and physicality, giving him an edge over others.

Stats	Season 2024/25
Appearances	16
Clean Sheets	11 Clean Sheets
Transfer Value	€185,000

2. Sarpreet Singh (Uniao Leiria & Liga Portugal 2)

Sarpreet Singh earned his popularity after earning a move to Bayern Munich in 2019 following his impressive work at Wellington Phoenix. The 26-year-old is a versatile and dangerous attacking player who loves to trouble defenders with his clever dribbling runs and movement in the final third.

He is currently playing for Portuguese second division side Uniao Leiria, for whom he averaged 0.8 key passes per 90 minutes in the 2024/25 season. Singh had quite a number of key goal contributions for Leiria and is trying his best to work his way back to first-division football.

Stats	Season 2024/25
Appearances	19
Goals and Assists	4 Goals and 2 Assists
Transfer Value	€290,000

Also Read: Ballon d’Or 2025 Rankings | Top 10 Contenders

1. Yan Dhanda (Hearts & Scottish Premiership)

Yan Dhanda is a product of the Liverpool youth academy and has played in the EFL Championship for Swansea City in his career. He has been playing his trade in Scotland since 2022, and currently plays for Heart of Midlothian. Dhanda is a proactive, creative threat in the attacking midfield role who loves to cover a lot of ground and use his innovative passes to create chances.

He even scored a goal in the 2024/25 UEFA Europa Conference League and also averaged 2.1 duels won for his side in the 2024/25 Scottish Premiership. Dhanda is representing Indian-origin footballers proudly and continues the wait to potentially play for India.

Stats	Season 2024/25
Appearances	33
Goals and Assists	2 Goals and 1 Assist
Transfer Value	€850,000