Consistency was the key for head coach Zico, who decided to retain the spine of the team, which reached the finals of the second edition of the ISL.
Popularly known as Lucio, he had won the treble (Seria A, UEFA Champions League and Coppa Italia) in 2010 under present Manchester United head coach Jose Mourinho after strong performances in the heart of the defence for Internazionale in Italy.
Along with his strong showing for his club, Lucio was a mainstay in the Brazil national team with 105 appearances at the heart of the defence, scoring four goals in the process and helping Brazil to win the 2002 World Cup, having played every minute of the competition.
He joined the ISL in 2015 when he signed for FC Goa to play under Zico. The coach had thrown the captain's armband to Lucio, primarily due to his wealth of experience playing football in Europe and South America.
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He regularly stopped opposition attacks in their tracks and started attacking moves of his own for his side.
For the third edition of the ISL, Zico decided to keep faith in the 38-year-old player.
Lucio will be looking to lead his team to the final once more in 2016 and go all the way this year in his second attempt at the title.