Luka Modric, who led Croatia to 2018 FIFA World Cup final in Russia, is a close friend of India head coach Igor Stimac.
New Delhi: Croatia and Real Madrid star Luka Modric wished India captain Sunil Chhetri ‘all the best’ on Wednesday for the latter’s farewell game against Kuwait in the 2026 FIFA World Cup AFC Qualifiers. Chhetri, the poster boy of Indian football, will bid adieu to his 19-year-long career in front of a sell-out crowd at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Thursday. A win against Kuwait will also put India into the third round of the qualifiers for the first time in history.
“Hi Sunil. I just want to say hello and wish you all the best in your last game for the national team. Congratulations on your career. You are a legend of this game and to your teammates, I hope you make his last game special and unforgettable. Good luck and win for your captain,” said Modric in a video posted by India head coach Igor Stimac.
Thank you Luka 💙
We will do everything in our power to make our country and our captain proud 🇮🇳 @lukamodric10 @chetrisunil11 @IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/eHPyPfnToi
— Igor Štimac (@stimac_igor) June 5, 2024
Captioning the post, Stimac said, “Thank you Luka. We will do everything in our power to make our country and our captain proud.” Chhetri last month announced that the second leg match against Kuwait would be his last in international football, having enjoyed a glorious career spanning nearly two decades.
Earlier on the day, Stimac said he was feeling said as Chhetri will be retiring after the match but added he might still give the ace striker one ‘last call’ to play for India. “Of course as a coach I’m sad that Sunil is leaving us. I’m still not sure if I’m going to send him another call, if I feel we need him and he plays well for Bengaluru FC. I’m still thinking about it,” he said during the pre-match press conference.
Meanwhile, Kuwait head coach Rui Bento said they are expecting tough challenge from India, but stressed that they have come out with better preparation from their loss in the last match. “Football is an ongoing process and now we are better than before. So expect better performance to win the game. We are confident about our players,” Bento said.
On retiring Chhetri, he said: “I know him very well, a historical player for Indian football. All the best to him. Football needs players like him. It’s not for good Indian football. Maybe in future you will have more players like Chhetri.”