The ISL Golden Boot has traditionally been given to the highest goal-scorer in a particular Indian Super League season. In the seven years of ISL history, only one player - FC Goa’s Ferran Corominas - has won the award twice. 

As we conclude the ISL 2021-22 season, we take a look at the list of all the ISL Golden Boot winners:

ISL 2021-22 Golden Boot winner - Bartholomew Ogbeche

Hyderabad FC forward Bartholomew Ogbeche won the Golden Boot award for the ISL 2021-22 season with 18 goals from 20 games. Ogbeche's incredible form helped Hyderabad FC clinch their maiden Indian Super League title by beating Kerala Blasters FC in the final. The 37-year-old Nigerian netted eight more goals than Igor Angulo of FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC's Greg Stewart, who scored 10 goals each in the tournament.

ISL 2020-21 Golden Boot winner - Igor Angulo

FC Goa forward Igor Angulo pipped ATK Mohun Bagan talisman Roy Krishna in his maiden ISL season to bag the Golden Boot award in ISL 7. Angulo scored 14 goals from 21 games just like Krishna but Angulo's better goal-per-minute ratio helped him win the award.

Meanwhile, Krishna missed the Golden Boot award by a whisker for the second consecutive year as he had scored a joint league-high of 15 goals but Nerijus Valskis had more assists. The criteria was, however, changed in ISL 2020-21 season as the goals per minute ratio was applied to break a tie.

ISL 2019-20 Golden Boot winner - Nerijus Valskis

Chennaiyin FC, who had finished fourth in the ISL table in the 2019-20 season league stages, will be grateful to the prolific Nerijus Valskis for their run to the final. The Lithuanian forward, who will play for Jamshedpur FC this season, had scored 15 goals to finish as the joint-highest goal-scorer in the 2019-20 ISL season. 

However, with ATK Mohun Bagan’s Roy Krishna and Kerala Blasters’ Bartholomew Ogbeche each with 15 goals to their name as well, the ISL rules had to dig deeper and identify the player with most assists to give away the ISL Golden Boot.

Interestingly, both Valskis and Krishna had netted 15 goals and provided six assists, which further narrowed down the final selection to the player playing fewer minutes. Valskis, who eventually walked away with the ISL Golden Boot award, had played 20 matches - one fewer than Krishna.

Ogbeche finished third with 15 goals and a solitary assist to his name in 18 games.

ISL 2018-19 Golden Boot winner - Ferran Corominas

Ferran Corominas, who is ISL’s all-time top scorer with 48 goals, claimed his second ISL Golden Boot in the 2018-19 season after scoring 16 goals in 20 games. The Spanish forward was significantly ahead of his competitors - Mumbai City FC’s Moudou Sougou and Bartholomew Ogbeche, then playing for NorthEast United. Both had notched 12 goals each in 18 games.

ISL 2017-18 Golden Boot winner - Ferran Corominas

Ferran Corominas is the only player in ISL’s history to have won two ISL Golden Boot awards and the first one came in his debut season. The Spaniard had joined FC Goa in 2017 after a brief stint in Cyprus, and it didn’t take long for him to assert his authority in India. In his debut season with the club, Coro outscored eventual-champions Bengaluru FC’s striking duo of Miku (15) and Suni Chhetri (14) by scoring 18 goals in 20 games. 

A 34-year-old ISL debutant, Corominas had scored his maiden goal against Chennaiyin FC before going on to bag consecutive hat-tricks against Bengaluru FC (a 4-3 win) and Kerala Blasters (a 5-2 win) that season. His return of 18 goals in the campaign is, in fact, the most goals a player scored in a single ISL season.

ISL 2016 Golden Boot winner - Marcelinho

Marcelinho, who will be playing for his fourth club in ISL 2020-21, had scored 10 goals and assisted five times to win the ISL Golden Boot in 2016. Representing the now-defunct Delhi Dynamos, his effort had taken the team to the semi-finals after finishing third in the points table.

ISL only had eight teams in 2016 and Marcelinho’s closest competitor was Iain Hume of ATK. The Canadian international had scored seven goals in 14 games that season.

ISL 2015 Golden Boot winner - Stiven Mendoza

Chennaiyin FC forward Stiven Mendoza scored 13 goals in 16 appearances to run away with the ISL Golden Boot award in 2015. Iain Hume was the closest competitor with 11 goals. 

Mendoza’s ability of taking on defenders and beating them with pace was a sheer treat for the Super Machans. It was at the back of his efforts that Chennaiyin FC finished third in the points table before going all the way to the final to face FC Goa. 

Mendoza stepped up on the biggest stage to score the winner in the added minutes of the injury time to take home the title as well as the ISL Golden Boot award.

ISL 2014 Golden Boot winner - Elano

Elano was one of the marquee players to have played in the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League. The former Manchester City midfielder had arrived with much fanfare and he lived up to the hype as well. 

Signing a three-month contract with Chennaiyin FC, Elano had announced his arrival with a sensational free-kick on his ISL debut against FC Goa. The carnage continued throughout the season as the Brazilian ended his tenure with eight goals in 11 games to finish as the top scorer of the 2014 edition, thus making him the first ISL Golden Boot winner.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @FCGoaOfficial

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