Five Foreigners Who Left ISL Because of Uncertainty: Indian Football’s Damaging Exodus

The uncertainty surrounding the future of the Indian Super League has triggered a damaging exodus of foreign talent, with five prominent international players abandoning Indian football entirely due to mounting concerns over unpaid salaries, delayed season starts, and lack of clarity about the competition’s future. As the All India Football Federation and ISL club hierarchies continue negotiations for the 2025-26 campaign, the constant delays are causing devastating ripples that extend far beyond administrative boardrooms.

While Indian footballers have no choice but to wait for resolution of the crisis, foreign players face different circumstances. For many international stars, the uncertainty of the ISL’s future directly threatens their livelihoods, career progression, and financial security. The more the league gets delayed, the more foreign players across multiple ISL teams become concerned about timely payment of their salaries and their ability to continue playing competitive football.

Several foreign players have become so incensed by the lack of progress that they’ve terminated their contracts and left Indian football entirely, seeking stability in leagues across Europe and Asia. Here we examine the five foreigners who departed the ISL because of mounting uncertainty, representing a brain drain that threatens the competition’s quality and reputation.

1. Borja Herrera (FC Goa) – “This Is Shameful”

Perhaps the most high-profile and controversial exit from an ISL club is that of Borja Herrera from FC Goa. The Spanish midfielder was a crucial component of Manolo Marquez’s side and featured in almost all their AFC Champions League Two matches during the ongoing 2025-26 season, demonstrating his commitment and importance to the team’s continental ambitions.

Borja played a pivotal role in helping FC Goa win the Super Cup title, scoring two goals and producing a solid performance in the final victory over East Bengal. His technical quality, work rate, and leadership made him indispensable to Goa’s system, with the club building their midfield around his distribution and tactical intelligence.

However, the lack of assurances over when the ISL season would start sent Herrera over the edge, forcing him to explore alternative options abroad. He ultimately decided to leave FC Goa recently, agreeing to his exit with the club’s consent as well, though the decision clearly came from frustration rather than any football-related reasons.

After his departure, Herrera didn’t hold back, sending a final jab at the AIFF that captured the anger felt by many foreign players trapped in the crisis. He stated publicly: “Please stop the nonsense and make a decision to save Indian football. This is shameful.” The Spanish midfielder’s scathing criticism highlighted the reputational damage the ISL crisis is causing internationally, with foreign players openly criticizing Indian football’s governance.

Herrera’s departure represents more than just losing one quality midfielder. His public statements damage the ISL’s image in international football circles, making it harder to attract quality foreign talent in the future when word spreads about unpaid salaries, delayed seasons, and administrative chaos.

2. Javier Hernandez (Jamshedpur FC) – Success Cut Short

Javier Hernandez enjoyed considerable success in Indian football, helping ATK win the ISL title during the 2019-20 campaign before enjoying productive stints with Odisha FC and Bengaluru FC. His experience and goal-scoring ability made him a valuable asset across multiple ISL clubs over several seasons.

He spent the 2024-25 season at Jamshedpur FC and became a pivotal player under Khalid Jamil’s coaching. The Spanish forward helped them reach the semi-finals of the ISL campaign, scoring nine goals in 26 games and providing crucial experience during high-pressure knockout matches. His performances justified Jamshedpur’s investment and suggested he could continue contributing at a high level.

However, Hernandez couldn’t continue with the Men of Steel beyond the 2024-25 season despite his successful campaign. Jamshedpur FC underwent a mass exodus in terms of trimming their squad after the season concluded, primarily because of uncertainty surrounding the ISL and concerns about how much money they would receive from the league system during the 2025-26 season.

The club’s financial caution, driven by the administrative crisis, forced difficult decisions about which players they could afford to retain. Hernandez became a casualty of this uncertainty, with Jamshedpur unable to guarantee his salary payments or provide clarity about when the new season would begin.

The experienced forward has since returned to Spain, where he now plays for Alaca FC in Segunda Federacion, the fourth tier of Spanish football. While this represents a significant step down in terms of league quality and profile compared to the ISL, it offers Hernandez the stability, regular football, and guaranteed payments that Indian football could no longer provide.

3. Javier Siverio (FC Goa) – AFC Dreams Ended

Javier Siverio was recruited by FC Goa after an impressive 2024-25 campaign with Jamshedpur FC, during which he performed well and helped them reach the ISL semi-finals. The Spanish forward, who began his Indian football journey in 2021, accumulated considerable experience and respect within the league.

FC Goa signed Siverio specifically to bolster their squad for the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Two campaign, viewing him as the attacking reinforcement needed to compete at continental level. He participated in five of the Gaurs’ AFC Champions League Two matches, though he failed to score during the group stage. However, Siverio did net a crucial goal that helped Goa qualify for the group stages, justifying his recruitment.

After making 10 appearances and scoring two goals for Goa across competitions, Siverio found himself unable to continue with the club despite their continental participation. His growing concern over the future of the ISL, combined with potential payment issues, convinced him that remaining in India represented too great a financial risk.

After Goa’s AFC Champions League Two campaign ended, Siverio decided to leave the club, prioritizing career stability over the uncertainty that characterized Indian football. His departure mid-season, despite being signed specifically for continental competition, demonstrates how severe the crisis has become when players abandon clubs even while participating in prestigious Asian tournaments.

4. Edgar Mendez (Bengaluru FC) – Suspended Operations Force Exit

Bengaluru FC have been particularly badly impacted by the uncertainty surrounding the future of the ISL, facing financial pressures that forced drastic operational decisions. In August 2025, the club took the extraordinary step of suspending first-team operations, which meant pausing salaries for players and first-team staff members.

This caused immediate ripple effects among foreign members who depended on their salaries to sustain themselves in India. The suspension created an untenable situation for international players who couldn’t afford to remain in the country without income, forcing several departures including that of Spanish attacker Edgar Mendez.

The 35-year-old had enjoyed a productive 2024-25 season with the Blues, scoring 10 goals and providing four assists across all competitions, including nine goals in the ISL itself. His experience, quality, and professionalism made him a key player for Bengaluru, with his performances suggesting he could continue contributing at a high level.

However, the uncertain financial situation at the club forced him to leave ahead of schedule despite his successful campaign. Mendez ended up joining Thai League club PT Prachuap FC in late August 2025, seeking the stability and regular payments that Bengaluru could no longer guarantee.

Edgar Mendez isn’t the only member of Bengaluru FC to depart due to uncertainty. Head coach Gerard Zaragoza and his entire coaching staff also left Bengaluru FC in November 2025, unable to continue working without salary guarantees or clarity about when the season would begin. The departure of an entire coaching staff alongside multiple players demonstrates the systemic nature of the crisis affecting the club.

The loss of both playing and coaching personnel mid-preparation for a season creates enormous disruption for Bengaluru FC, undermining years of careful squad building and forcing the club to essentially restart their project under immensely difficult circumstances.

5. Jesus Jimenez (Kerala Blasters) – Top Scorer Departs

Kerala Blasters recruited Jesus Jimenez as the replacement for Dimitrios Diamantakos ahead of the 2024-25 ISL campaign, seeking to bolster their push for a playoff place. The Leganes youth academy product actually made a positive impact in the ISL despite the chaos within the Kerala Blasters organization.

Jimenez scored 11 goals during the 2024-25 ISL campaign, establishing himself as one of the Tuskers’ best and most consistent players despite numerous losing efforts. His goal-scoring ability provided Kerala Blasters with badly-needed attacking threat, and his professionalism impressed club management even during difficult periods.

However, Kerala Blasters could not retain the services of the Spanish forward beyond the 2024-25 campaign. The lack of assurances about when the 2025-26 ISL season would begin made Jimenez reluctant to remain in Indian football, while Kerala Blasters themselves were uncertain about fulfilling his financial demands given the administrative uncertainty.

The combination of no guaranteed start date for the new season and concerns about salary payment forced both parties to acknowledge that continuing the relationship was unfeasible. Jimenez ended up leaving Indian football entirely, currently playing in the Polish first division (Ekstraklasa) for Nieciecza FC, where he benefits from regular football in a stable league environment.

His departure represents a significant loss for Kerala Blasters, who must now identify and recruit a replacement capable of scoring double-digit goals in the ISL, a difficult task made harder by the league’s damaged reputation among foreign players.

The Broader Impact on ISL Quality and Reputation

The departure of these five foreign players represents more than individual transfers; it symbolizes a systemic crisis threatening the ISL’s quality, competitiveness, and international reputation. These weren’t fringe squad players but established performers who scored goals, created chances, and provided leadership across multiple successful campaigns.

Combined, these five players scored approximately 41 goals during the 2024-25 ISL season, representing a significant portion of their respective clubs’ attacking output. Replacing this goal-scoring production requires either promoting untested Indian players or convincing new foreign talent to join clubs embroiled in financial and administrative uncertainty.

The latter option becomes increasingly difficult as word spreads internationally about the ISL crisis. Foreign players communicate extensively through agents, social media, and professional networks. When established players like Borja Herrera publicly criticize Indian football as “shameful” and multiple others abandon contracts to seek stability elsewhere, it creates a reputational crisis that deters quality replacements.

Agents now warn their clients about the risks of joining ISL clubs, highlighting delayed seasons, suspended salary payments, and lack of administrative clarity. This forces ISL clubs to either overpay significantly to compensate for perceived risk or settle for lower-quality foreign players willing to accept uncertainty in exchange for any professional contract.

The exodus also damages the league’s competitive quality, with clubs forced to field weaker lineups without the foreign talent that has elevated the ISL’s standard since its inception. This creates a downward spiral where reduced quality leads to diminished commercial appeal, which further constrains clubs’ financial resources.

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