Stiven Mendoza is destined for bigger leagues

tiven Mendoza of Chennaiyin FC has been the standout forward in the Indian Super League this year. No team have been able to figure out a way to stop the Colombian who has 11 goals and two assists from 13 matches. In the midst of battle-hardened foreigners who populate the league Mendoza is like a blast of fresh air as he is only 23 years old. For some prominent imports, the ISL has been a platform to make a quick buck but the CFC forward is here in the prime of his career. The league can earn respect outside India if it starts supplying promising players instead of serving as a lucrative outpost for players whose sell-by date had long expired.

According to Mumbai City FC manager Nicolas Anelka, Mendoza can make the cut in Europe. After suffering at the hands of the Colombian in a chastening defeat under non-stop Chennai rain last week, the Frenchman said the CFC forward has all the ingredients to shine in tougher leagues. “He is speedy and knows where the goal is. I would like to see him succeed in Europe,” Anelka said. To get the seal of approval from a man who has played for Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid among other clubs in his peripatetic career is high praise indeed for the youthful forward.

At 171 centimetres, Mendoza doesn’t have the height to win physical battles inside the box. However, he has other skills, which come easily to shorter men, to flourish in the final third. A fine dribbler, the Colombian has pace to burn. His excellent close control enables him to keep the ball as long as he wants. A forward may be blessed with a bagful of tricks but he is nobody without his bread and butter — goals. There is a remarkable improvement in his productivity compared to season one. In 2014, Mendoza needed four chances for a goal. Two opportunities are enough this year. When he is in the mood, as has been the case many a time this season, even a sniff of goal spells doom for the opposition. Unlike forwards who are obsessively selfish, the Chennaiyin hotshot is ever ready to pass the ball to a teammate in a better position. Mendoza’s body feints and dummies have made him an instant hero in Chennai and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he has upstaged the irrepressible Bernard Mendy and Elano in popularity. The South American, who finished fourth in the U-17 World Cup in 2009, is not merely a goal-scorer; he is an entertainer par excellence.

Mendoza has a left-foot that can talk. All his 11 goals have originated from it this year. The lethal foot is such a reliable tool for him that he hardly ever uses the other for his final touch. Corinthians, one of the biggest clubs in Brazil, snapped up the Colombian after he came to the fore in the inaugural edition of the ISL. He has already done enough in season two to attract the attention of Europe. In all probability he has only three matches left in the ISL if Chennaiyin reach the final, that is. Enjoy the Mendoza show as long as it lasts.