Long before the Durand Cup carried the weight of Indian Super League rivalries, it began in 1888 as a regimental contest among British Army units in Shimla, well before anyone tracked individual scoring. Over 135 years, the competition grew from a military exercise into Asia’s oldest club tournament, and its scoring charts now tell their own story.
Trinidad and Tobago forward Marcus Joseph sits atop that list with 17 career goals. With the 2026 edition approaching, here is a look at the players who defined the Durand Cup’s goalscoring history.
Durand Cup All-Time Top 10 Goalscorers
Marcus Joseph leads a list dominated by a mix of foreign forwards and homegrown Indian talent, spread across multiple eras of the tournament.
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Clubs Represented | Seasons | Matches | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcus Joseph | Trinidad and Tobago | Gokulam Kerala FC, Mohammedan SC | 3 | 17 | 17 |
| 2 | Noah Sadaoui | Morocco | FC Goa, Kerala Blasters FC | 2 | 9 | 12 |
| 3 | Alaeddine Ajaraie | Morocco | NorthEast United FC | 2 | 11 | 11 |
| 4 | Liston Colaco | India | ATK Mohun Bagan, Mohun Bagan SG | 5 | 20 | 10 |
| 5 | Luka Majcen | Slovenia | Churchill Brothers, Punjab FC, Diamond Harbour | 4 | 17 | 10 |
| 6 | Jorge Pereyra Díaz | Argentina | Two clubs | 3 | 13 | 9 |
| 7 | Bidyashagar Singh | India | Three clubs | 4 | 13 | 9 |
| 8 | Greg Stewart | Scotland | Two clubs | 3 | 15 | 8 |
| 9 | Lallianzuala Chhangte | India | Mumbai City FC | 2 | 10 | 8 |
| 10 | Devendra Murgaokar | India | Two clubs | 3 | 11 | 8 |
Records and Storylines Behind the Top 10
- Marcus Joseph tops the all-time charts with 17 goals in just 17 matches across three seasons for Gokulam Kerala FC and Mohammedan SC, a strike rate no other player in the top 10 has matched.
- Noah Sadaoui needed only nine matches to reach 12 goals, the fewest appearances among the top five all-time scorers.
- Alaeddine Ajaraie’s climb up the charts was built largely on a single explosive campaign, his 2025 Golden Boot run of 8 goals in 6 matches for NorthEast United FC.
- Liston Colaco is the most experienced player on the list, featuring in 20 matches across five seasons for ATK Mohun Bagan and Mohun Bagan SG, yet he still ranks fourth with 10 goals.
- Luka Majcen took four seasons and three different clubs, Churchill Brothers, Punjab FC, and Diamond Harbour, to reach double figures, the most club changes of anyone in the top 10.
- Jorge Pereyra Díaz and Bidyashagar Singh sit level on 9 goals apiece, with Bidyashagar needing one fewer season to get there.
- Greg Stewart, Lallianzuala Chhangte, and Devendra Murgaokar are tied on 8 goals, though Chhangte reached that mark in just two seasons and ten matches, the quickest of the three.
- Ajaraie’s Golden Boot in 2025 and Sadaoui’s Golden Boot in 2024, with six goals, show foreign forwards increasingly leading the individual scoring charts even as Colaco, Bidyashagar, and Chhangte hold their ground as the tournament’s top Indian names.
Durand Cup Top 10 Indian Goalscorers
Liston Colaco leads the way among homegrown talent, but the list also points to a new generation of Indian strikers making their mark.
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Clubs Represented | Seasons | Matches | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liston Colaco | India | ATK Mohun Bagan, Mohun Bagan SG | 5 | 20 | 10 |
| 2 | Bidyashagar Singh | India | Three clubs | 4 | 13 | 9 |
| 3 | Lallianzuala Chhangte | India | Mumbai City FC | 2 | 10 | 8 |
| 4 | Devendra Murgaokar | India | Two clubs | 3 | 11 | 8 |
| 5 | David Lalhlansanga | India | Two clubs | 3 | 10 | 8 |
| 6 | Siva Sakthi N | India | Two clubs | 3 | 14 | 8 |
| 7 | Liton Shil | India | Army Red | 6 | 18 | 8 |
| 8 | Mohammed Aimen | India | Kerala Blasters FC | 3 | 12 | 7 |
| 9 | Parthib Gogoi | India | NorthEast United FC | 3 | 14 | 7 |
| 10 | Muhammad Nemil | India | FC Goa | 3 | 11 | 7 |
Related Reads
Conclusion: Marcus Joseph’s 17 Goals Still Stand as the Durand Cup Benchmark
Marcus Joseph’s 17 goals across three seasons with Gokulam Kerala FC and Mohammedan SC still stand unmatched, more than a century after the tournament began as a regimental contest in 1888.
The scoring charts show how the Durand Cup has changed, with forwards like Sadaoui and Ajaraie dominating recent Golden Boot races, while Colaco and Bidyashagar Singh keep Indian names near the top. As the 2026 edition kicks off, a new generation of strikers will chase Joseph’s tally, the benchmark every scorer aims to surpass.
