“It was never about me. It will never be about me.”
Five years ago, not too far away from the iconic Salt Lake Stadium, Sunil Chhetri uttered these exact words in front of another thronging press pack. The context was more or less the same. A FIFA World Cup qualifier in Kolkata as India dreamt of bigger things. But the stakes have been raised multifold this time around.
Stimac said the game against Kuwait can ‘change the future of Indian football’. The Croatian further called it the ‘biggest game’ he has ever been part of in his career - as a player or as a coach. This comes from a man who played in a FIFA World Cup semifinal at the Stade de France against the host nation in 1998 and coached his national team.
“Although I am a foreigner in this country, I feel more like an Indian. In the beginning, I didn’t want my emotions involved in the job but that is something which you cannot stop. So, today, I am proud to say that I feel Indian like many of them here. And I can tell honestly, this is the biggest game, in my playing and coaching career. And the simple reason is that when you have the chance to make one person happy, and you do that, then you are a happy man. We have the chance to make 1.5 billion people happy. We need to do everything to make it happen. That is why it is the biggest game of my career,” stressed Stimac, in front of 100-plus media personnel.
Chhetri, sitting next to him, concurred. The Indian captain was unperturbed until then, like a typical striker. But when the same question was posed to him, he leaned back, while stroking his chin. Seemingly counting back all the memorable matches he had been a part of over his over two-decade-long career.
The Kolkata derby in an IFA Shield final in his maiden professional season in 2002. Or his debut away to Pakistan in 2005. Or his debut in the Asian Cup in 2011. Or the first time he captained India in 2012. Or the I-League finale vs Mohun Bagan in 2015. Or the must-win game against Kyrgyzstan in 2017. Or the multiple ISL finals. There are plenty to pick from.
“Same [this is the biggest game of my career],” came Chhetri’s reply. “I have worked 19 years for the national team, and we never had this opportunity. At this juncture that we have now. I hope this press conference doesn’t reach the boys because I can feel the goosebumps. I want them to be relaxed. This is huge - things are going to change if we win. It’s not going to be magical, but oh... it’s going to be magical also,” he reasoned.
For both Stimac and Chhetri, this game holds further significance. Stimac had vowed his resignation if India was unsuccessful in making the third round of the qualifiers. If India fails to win this game, it loses its best opportunity to make the impossible, possible. India had squandered two chances in the matches against Afghanistan.
After the loss to Afghanistan, the national team was in disarray. The Indian supporters had booed the team and Stimac out of the building. Loud ‘Stimac Out!” chants rang around the stadium. There were murmurs of the Croatian being shown the door as early as April, but that wasn’t a feasible option for the All India Football Federation (AIFF). So he is here, too, for what could potentially be his last realistic shot at delivering on the promise of third-round qualification.
Indian national football team captain Sunil Chhetri and other players during a practice session ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers match against Kuwait, in Kolkata, Tuesday, Jun. 4, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI
For Chhetri, this will be his last game in an India shirt. After 150 matches and 94 goals, he chose this setting, where it all began for him as a professional footballer in 2002, for his final bow as the leading man of Indian football.
Chhetri’s retirement announcement on May 16, has turned the heat away from Stimac, who Chhetri says has ‘aged 15 years during his five-year India stint’, in the lead-up to this game. The focus was solely on one man, who was next to him. The toughest question he had to answer was what life could look like post-Chhetri. “If he plays well for Bengaluru FC next season, you never know [on giving Chhetri a call],” Stimac joked.
Chhetri, though, made it clear there was no room for a U-turn. “Some of these boys [teammates] can’t wait for me to leave. They are licking their lips right now,” he chimed in.
He then added, “It’s too late. I am not someone who will say something and not follow up on it. When we win tomorrow, then no I will not come back.”
It was easy for anyone in the room to get lost in the magnitude of the game, in the celebration of one name and the possible benefits of qualification, but the pair was keen to emphasise the job at hand. While they were keen to channel the energy and the emotion of the 62,000-strong home crowd, they didn’t want to lose sight of the opponent.
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“A win. Three points. A clean sheet” was how Chhetri put it. Like how any no-nonsense footballer would. And that’s all he cared about. Stimac added, “Of course, it’s about celebrating Sunil’s last game but it’s also about India winning the game against Kuwait. I will put it in a few words: we are ready!”
Still, however, hard they tried, the sense of occasion and anticipation surrounding the game were heightened by Chhetri’s call. The ‘ Captain. Leader. Legend.’ of 19-plus years, one of the greatest footballers of this country, in the Mecca of Indian football, coming out to give his call for the 151st and final time.
Sorry, Sunil, for the last time, it will once again have to be about you.
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