Mohun Bagan’s Indian Super League (ISL) success in 2024-25 may have taken place thousands of miles from Scotland, but it owed much to the contributions of four former Scottish Premiership players.
Tom Aldred, Greg Stewart, Jason Cummings and Jamie Maclaren joined forces to ensure that India’s best supported team took the ISL title for the second season running. All four could have ended up playing for Scotland together. Although born in England and Australia respectively, Aldred and Maclaren qualified for the Scots through family connections and both turned out for the Scotland U19 side. Cummings did earn three caps in friendlies for the country of his birth before, like Maclaren, switching allegiance to Australia - the country of his mother’s birth.
Former Motherwell and Blackpool defender Aldred admitted that the chemistry between this group of players likely played a significant part in powering his side to success.
“It was a really tight group of players,” said Aldred. “We often said to one another that we couldn’t believe we had ended up together in India as we had all had somewhat similar pathways in football. Greg and Jason had both played for Rangers, Macca and Jason had played at Hibernian. Greg and Jason had played at Dundee.
“I had played against all of them in Scotland and some of them in Australia. So we all knew each other as players and it was so easy to bond as teammates because we were from that same background.
“Mohun Bagan would have recruited on the basis of building a good culture among the foreign players and they couldn’t have done it any better. As foreign players, to have that many lads with a sense of togetherness, it was almost like a family. Added to that, Alberto (Rodriguez) was Spanish and a great guy and good player and I knew Dimitri (Petratos) from my time in Australia.”
The former Hibs striker Cummings has become well known for his antics off the pitch, and Aldred confirmed that his reputation is somewhat justified. But he was also quick to point out that his character has a very positive impact.
“He’s lively but he’s also a great guy and a fantastic player. People have this perception that he’s this crazy madman, which he is in a way, but in a good way. Every changing room needs people like Jason because he brings people closer together.”
Aldred has captained several teams in a career that had included stints in the English Championship at Blackpool, the Scottish Premiership at Motherwell and Brisbane Roar in the A-League. He also has big game experience at Wembley and Hampden Park. Winning the ISL was an achievement that matched them all.
“In football, wherever you play, whether it be England, Scotland, Australia or India, it’s very competitive. So to win the league and the cup was right up there with other achievements.
“I’ve been quite lucky and fortunate to play in different countries and to achieve success at an overseas club is no mean feat.”
That hunger for success was one of the factors that prompted Aldred to swap a comfortable lifestyle in Brisbane for the bustling streets of Kolkata.
“I loved my time in Australia. I was there for five years at Brisbane Roar. I just felt that after five years, I had done my time. I could have stayed at Brisbane or moved to another club in the A-League. I was speaking to West Sydney Wanderers, which is one of the biggest clubs in the league, but I had played 100 games as captain at one of the best clubs in the A-League and I felt that I was ready for a new challenge. At 33, it was an age when the time was perfect, my contract was at an end and I had the opportunity to go to Mohun Bagan.
“It was a risk because I was happy in Australia and my family was settled but, ultimately, I’m a footballer who wants to win and try new things and Mohun Bagan provided that opportunity and I couldn’t turn it down.”
Looking ahead to the new ISL season, Aldred anticipates that to defend their title, Mohun Bagan will have to get the better of some familiar rivals.
“The same clubs will be up there again. I expect to have challenges from Goa, Bengalaru and Mumbai City. These are the teams I think will be challenging us again.
“There is a lot of pressure on us to produce and we have to do it again this season. That’s the mentality - to kick on again this year.”
For foreign players in emerging leagues, fans are often keen to hear how they compare with the level of the more established leagues in Europe and South America. Aldred admits that such comparisons are difficult, but he has no doubt that the ISL has particular challenges with the climate that require any new arrivals to adapt quickly.
“The conditions affect the ISL because of how hot it can be. That’s why it can be difficult for some foreign players to adapt. It’s a good level. It has that element of physicality from the Football League, and it has similarities with the A-League. It’s really hard to compare but there are certainly similarities.”
One way of comparing to the Scottish Premiership is to consider if the Mohun Bagan players who once plied their trade in Scotland’s top tier would still be able to play in it. Aldred has no doubts.
“In my opinion, yes. In the A-League, you play during the day when it can be so hot. Because of that, you get so fit. It has made me think that I would love to go back and play a game in Glasgow in the freezing cold because you would be so fit.
“There would have to be a period of readapting to the physicality of Scottish football that we haven’t been used to. But I would back myself to adapt to play in Scotland again.”
But for the moment, Aldred is full of appreciation for the football culture he is experiencing in India, and he would recommend that others follow in his footsteps.
“I enjoy the different challenges it provides, the different stadiums you have to play at, the different fans - some of the clubs have got incredible fanbases. There’s also the travelling around and seeing the different cities and experiencing the culture of India - it’s a special culture that you can only really soak in if you witness it over the course of a season, which I have been able to do.
“Like the A-League and other leagues in Asia, it doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves. You only have to look at some of the players in these leagues and some of the ones who haven't done so well to see how hard it is. I would definitely recommend it to any foreign players for a number of reasons.”
The culture at Mohun Bagan holds particular appeal for Aldred as he tries to maintain the winning mentality he has possessed throughout his career.
“At Mohun Bagan, you need to win, which is similar to the teams I’ve been at in the UK. If you don’t win one game, it’s ok. If you don’t win two games, it’s a problem. If you won’t win three games, it’s the end of the world. It’s very similar at Mohun Bagan. With a big club and a big fanbase comes massive pressure and that’s something that I love.”
While the ISL offers a competitive environment, there has yet to be sustained improvement in the Indian national side. Aldred believes it might benefit them if more Indian players gain experience overseas.
“The ISL is a good league. It just needs to continue to produce players. In terms of the national team, it’s just a time thing. The national team players in the Mohun Bagan side are very good players - a few of them could definitely play in England or Scotland and, given the opportunity, they would be able to adapt.
“You hope that it continues to grow in popularity and at the grassroots level they invest the right amount of money to produce players who can go on to play for the national team.”
While winning the ISL title was one career highlight, Aldred has plenty of others to look back on. One was when he was made Brisbane Roar skipper by a Liverpool legend.
“Being named captain by Robbie Fowler was huge. To have him say to you that believes in you as his leader was pretty special. It was a huge responsibility.”
A run to the 2018 Scottish Cup final with Motherwell is another standout memory from Aldred’s time as a player.
“The semifinal was fantastic and that was probably one of my best days in football. We beat Aberdeen 3-0 at Hampden, which was amazing. In the final against Celtic, I don’t really remember the game because it went so fast. I remember thinking we needed to keep it at 0-0 for as long as we could but they got two goals in the first 30 minutes.
“It was difficult to try and contain them and, in my opinion, that was one of the best Celtic sides. Some of the players they had were great, like Kristoffer Ajer, Kieran Tierney and Moussa Dembele. You look back with a bit of frustration and wished you could have ridden your luck and stayed in the game, like Aberdeen did this year.”
And then there was that time Aldred led his Blackpool team out at Wembley for the 2017 League Two playoff final. Unfortunately, he was carrying an injury that saw him taken off in the first half, but the memory remains a cherished one.
“We played the semi final over two legs against Luton Town the week before, which was fantastic. I had a little tear in my calf after the game and I knew I would never be right for the final. But I was never going to not play and miss out on the chance to lead the team out at Wembley.
“I think I lasted about 30 minutes and we were 1-0 up. I remember being in the changing rooms at Wembley and seeing it go to 1-1 and I couldn’t really watch the second half. It was frustrating not to play the full game. We were fortunate enough to win and it was one of the highlights of my career. To win at Wembley as a captain is pretty special.”
At 34, Aldred remains ambitious and has no thoughts of retirement until he hits at least 40. First, he hopes to be talking about his second ISL title win this time next year.
