
Founded: 13th August 2014
Owners: City Football Group, Ranbir Kapoor and Bimal Parekh
Stadium: Mumbai Football Arena, Mumbai
Titles: 1
About
Mumbai City FC were one of the first franchises to participate in the Indian Super League since its foundation. Initially, the club was owned by Ranbir Kapoor and Bimal Parekh. But, later the City Football (CFG) group acquired a majority stake in the club to become the principal owner of the franchise.
With this partnership, Mumbai City managed to tap into the vast global opportunity that lies in the footballing atmosphere and they also won their first Indian Super League title last season inspired by CFG’s vision and some high-profile summer signings.
CFG’s arrival gave the Islanders the financial muscle to rope in the likes of Adam Le Fondre, Hugo Boumous, Ahmed Jahouh and Mandar Rao Desai and the result reflected on the pitch as they went on to become the ISL champions in the 2020-21 season.
Mumbai City FC: Results in Indian Super League
Year | Result |
2014-15 | 7th |
2015-16 | 6th |
2016-17 | Semifinals |
2017-18 | 7th |
2018-19 | Semifinals |
2019-20 | 5th |
2020-21 | Champions |
Mumbai City FC didn’t have the desired start in the first two seasons as they finished seventh and sixth respectively. They managed a playoff appearance in the next season but lost to ATK in the semifinals.
The Islanders couldn’t replicate their performance in the next season as they finished seventh yet again in the ISL 2017-18 season. They reached the semifinals in the following season but had to be satisfied with a fourth position as they missed out on a playoff spot. They became champions in the last season as they defeated ATK Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League final.
Mumbai City FC: Top Scorers in ISL
Year | Player | Appearances | Goals |
2013-14 | Andre Moritz | 9 | 3 |
2014-15 | Sunil Chhetri | 14 | 5 |
2015-16 | Diego Forlan | 11 | 5 |
2017-18 | Balwant Singh | 16 | 6 |
2018-19 | Modou Sougou | 16 | 12 |
2019-20 | Amine Chermiti | 16 | 6 |
2020-21 | Adam le Fondre | 20 | 11 |
When Adam Le Fondre arrived at the ISL everybody thought he would be needing some time to acclimatise to the Indian condition. However, he took very little time to find the back of the net and single handedly guided Mumbai to their maiden ISL title last season. He arrived on loan from Sydney FC and had to return to the club last summer, otherwise, he could have led Mumbai City this season too.
Mumbai City FC: ISL 2021-22 Fixtures
Date | Day | Fixture | Venue | Time (IST) |
November 22, 2021 | Monday | MCFC vs FC Goa | PJN Stadium, Fatorda | 7:30 PM IST |
November 27, 2021 | Saturday | MCFC vs Hyderabad FC | PJN Stadium, Fatorda | 9:30 PM IST |
December 1, 2021 | Wednesday | ATK Mohun Bagan vs MCFC | PJN Stadium, Fatorda | 7:30 PM IST |
December 4, 2021 | Saturday | Bengaluru FC vs MCFC | Athletic Stadium, Bambolim | 9:30 PM IST |
December 9, 2021 | Thursday | MCFC vs Jamshedpur FC | PJN Stadium, Fatorda | 7:30 PM IST |
December 15, 2021 | Wednesday | MCFC vs Chennaiyin FC | PJN Stadium, Fatorda | 7:30 PM IST |
December 19, 2021 | Sunday | MCFC vs Kerala Blasters | PJN Stadium, Fatorda | 7:30 PM IST |
December 27, 2021 | Monday | NorthEast United FC vs MCFC | PJN Stadium, Fatorda | 7:30 PM IST |
January 3, 2022 | Monday | Odisha FC vs MCFC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
January 7, 2022 | Friday | SC East Bengal vs MCFC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
January 10, 2022 | Monday | MCFC vs Bengaluru FC | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
January 16, 2022 | Sunday | Kerala Blasters vs MCFC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
January 21, 2022 | Friday | Jamshedpur FC vs MCFC | Bambolim Athletic Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
January 25, 2022 | Tuesday | MCFC vs NorthEast United FC | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
February 3, 2022 | Thursday | MCFC vs ATK Mohun Bagan | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
February 6, 2022 | Sunday | Chennaiyin FC vs MCFC | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
February 12, 2022 | Saturday | MCFC vs SC East Bengal | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
February 20, 2022 | Sunday | FC Goa vs MCFC | Bambolim Athletic Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
February 24, 2022 | Thursday | Hyderabad FC vs MCFC | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
March 2, 2022 | Wednesday | MCFC vs Odisha FC | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
Mumbai City FC: Squad for ISL 2021-22
Goalkeepers: Mohammad Nawaz, Phurba Lachenpa, Vikram Singh
Defenders: Amey Ranawade, Hmingthanmawia, Huidrom Singh, Mandar Rao Desai, Mehtab Singh, Mohamad Rakip, Rahul Bheke, Mourtada Fall, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy
Midfielders: Ahmed Jahouh, Bradden Inman, Cassio Gabriel, Chanso Horam, Lalengmawia, Asif Khan, Tondomba Singh, Raynier Fernandes, Vinit Rai
Forwards: Bipin SIngh, Gurkirat SIngh, Igor Angulo, Pranjal Bhumij, Vikram Singh, Ygor Catatau
This season Mumbai saw the arrival of Igor Angulo, Apuia, Mohammad Nawaz and Brad Inman. The Islanders paid almost to the tune of 2 crores to North East United to avail the services of the midfielder in the summer.
MCFC: Interesting ISL stats
Mumbai have the record of racking up the most points (40) in a season. Mumbai have also conceded the fewest goal in a season when they leaked just 11 goals back in 2016.
MCFC: Rivalries
After Pune City FC became defunct in 2019, Mumbai’s biggest rival have been FC Goa from their neighbouring state. In one of the most memorable matches, FC Goa had put seven goals past Mumbai FC in 2015 which is still the highest margin of victory in an Indian Super League match. Both teams have seen some poaching of players from each other over the years, and it has been a very intense rivalry between the two teams.
Mumbai City FC vs FC Goa Head to Head
Matches Played | Won | Lost | Tied |
19 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
Road Ahead for MCFC
Mumbai City FC’s foremost aim is to become the most successful club in Indian football history. Their professionalism complements their expectations and in a very little time, they have become a potent force in Indian football.
To paint Mumbai permanently as a footballing giant CFG will use its financial muscle to add more firepower in near future. The departure of Sergio Lobera may have hurt their prospect but they will have the time by their side to restore their pride.
Mumbai have been the destination for sponsors and advertising agencies to showcase their products and CFG’s involvement would open new doors for the club. To set up a footballing culture at the club CFG needs to invest more in young generational talent and a world-class academy would definitely help them in the long run.
It remains to be seen whether they could maintain their performance on the pitch or not.