Igor Stimac calls this Indian footballer ‘India’s Ronaldo’

Indian team head coach, Igor Stimac called this Indian football player “very special” and a “proper role model” as India continues their successful campaign in the ongoing SAFF Championship. Stimac praised Lallianzuala Chhangte and believes that he is as important as Cristiano Ronaldo. Chhangte is a winger for the Indian Football Team and currently plays for Mumbai City FC in Indian Super League (ISL). 

Lallianzuala Chhangte

Chhangte is a winger who hails from Mizoram and played for India U-19 and India U-23 before making his debut for the senior side. He made his debut for India in the SAFF Championship in 2015. Chhangte played an instrumental role in Mumbai City FC reaching the semi-finals of the ISL in 2022-23. He was the ISL 2022–23 season’s Golden Ball winner. In order to help Mumbai City win the ISL League Winners Shield, he scored 10 goals and provided six assists.

Stimac on Chhangte

Stimac was asked about the 26-year-old’s energy on the field to which the coach responded by saying “I would say Chhangte and also (Naorem Singh) Mahesh. The two of them are giving us now amazing options in the final third because they are very special players.” He continued to sing the young winger’s praises as he compared him to Portuguese star footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo. Stimac further added, “Chhangte is very, very important, if not the most important player for the future of Indian football because he’s a proper role model of professional football. Like Ronaldo in the world. That’s what Chhangte is becoming in India.”

Earlier this month, Stimac heaped praises on Chhangte and even went on to say that a movie should be made about him. The Indian team coach said this during the Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023 which India won keeping clean sheets for the whole tournament. Stimac said, “He (Chhangte) works so hard on a daily basis. You should make a movie about him as he’s an inspiration for future generations, who are coming up and knocking on the door of the senior team. They should learn from him what it takes to be a professional. People see him on Sundays scoring for Mumbai City, but they don’t see him the rest of six-and-a-half days working for that Sunday. We need to appreciate him, and I hope his run will continue.”

Indian national team

The Blue Tigers are preparing for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Sunil Chhetri-led side has improved a lot since Stimac came in as the coach. Stimac since his arrival has nurtured a lot of players but none like the young right winger. Chhangte has been a great performer for the Stimac-managed side. The winger from Mizoram won the golden boot along with captain Sunil Chhetri in the Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023.

In their last 12 home games, India is yet to face a defeat. They have won 10 of these 12 games while 2 ended in draws. Their defence has been one of the biggest reasons for their dominance as they have conceded only 2 goals in these 12 games while scoring 23.

The Chhetri-led side will face probably their toughest challenge in recent times as they go face-to-face against Kuwait tonight in the SAFF Championship 2023. It will be India’s final game in the group stage against Kuwait. Both Kuwait and India have won their previous two games and a win for India will mean that they face the second-placed team from Group B. A draw would mean that Kuwait will finish in first place despite having the same goal difference (+6) as India. India who have kept clean sheets in both their matches have scored 6 goals (4 against Pakistan and 2 against Nepal) while Kuwait has scored 7 goals. As Kuwait has scored more goals they will finish above India in case of a draw despite having the same points and same goal difference.

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