ISL 2018-19: 10 Highest-paid Players this Season

Over the years, the Indian Super League has witnessed some of the biggest names in world football donning the jerseys of its clubs. A major reason why they come to India is because of the money that the clubs will splurge for a short season.

ISL Season 5 has already seen a lot of drama -- NorthEast United's goalkeeper TP Rehenesh being banned for 3 games for punching ATK's Gerson Vieira, FC Pune City sacking their gaffer Miguel Angel Portugal after just three games in charge and defending champions Chennaiyin FC struggling at the 9th position after losing the four of their five games.

They have also been some high-scoring and nerve-wracking encounters in the ISL such as NorthEast United's 4-3 win over Chennaiyin and FC Goa's 4-2 win over FC Pune City. 

While some of the big guns have justified their high price tags, there are some who have just been plain disappointing. In this article, we do a countdown of the Top 10 highest paid players of ISL Season 5. (Source of all data: ISL).

NOTE: *USD 1 = Rs. 67.44 in our calculations.

Some of the teams have spent a fortune -- amounts in excess of Rs 16 crore overall -- to procure players. Miku, the highest paid player of the last season, is not the number 1 this time around.

There is also just one Indian on the list of 10 players and it's not Sunil Chhetri, who is surprisingly 13th on the list, drawing Rs 1.65 crore from Bengaluru FC.

Defending champions Chennaiyin FC, and Delhi Dynamos are the two clubs who do not have any players in the top 10 list. The biggest spenders have been Bengaluru FC who spent Rs 16,48,64,426 on wages.

Here are the 10 Highest-paid players this season:

#10 John Johnson (₹1.68 crore/$250,000) -- ATK

ATK roped in English defender John Johnson from Bengaluru FC before the start of the season. The 6 ft central defender was exceptional for the Blues and had 86 caps for them. Johnson has proved to be great for the Red and Whites as well and is justifying his high price tag.

The number 4 for ATK, Johnson, has played the full 90 minutes in all 5 of their matches until now. The 30-year-old even scored a crucial goal in their last match against Chennaiyin FC. After the poor start initially, where ATK lost back-to-back matches, to Kerala Blasters and NorthEast United, the lanky Englishman has ensured a tight backline in the next 3 matches. Johnson is one of the two defenders to feature on this list.

ALSO READ: Most appearances in the ISL

78.51 % passing accuracy, 7 tackles, 3 interceptions, 36 clearances, and 5 blocks -- These are the numbers of the central defender from the first 5 games. After a jittery start, Johnson has really found his form and is doing his job of controlling the backline brilliantly.

#9 Bartholomew Ogbeche (₹1.77 crore/$262,882) -- NorthEast United

NorthEast United's captain Bartholomew Ogbeche has led from the front in the truest sense. The Nigerian striker is having a fantastic debut campaign and has exceeded expectations. He quickly became known as 'Big Man Bart' for his prolific goal-scoring ability. 

The 34-year-old forward has also scored the first hat-trick of the season -- in the match against Chennaiyin FC. The hat-trick came in just 10 minutes, making it the fastest in the history of the league. 

NorthEast United, who are the only team to not have made it to the play-offs of the ISL in any of the four editions, are sitting handsomely at 2nd place on the table thanks to Ogbeche's exploits.

Of the eight goals The Highlanders scored in their first four matches, five have come from Ogbeche himself -- which also makes him the 2nd highest on the list of goal scorers this season. The prolific strikeforce is well and truly on his way on leading NorthEast to their first ever playoffs. He is one player who has truly justified his high price tag.