E-Paper
Jhingan first Indian footballer to play in Croatia top-tier league
Mohali-based defender Sandesh Jhingan will become the first Indian international footballer to play in the Croatian top-tier league, Prva HNL, as he makes a move from ATK Mohun Bagan to professional football club HNK Sibenik
Mohali-based defender Sandesh Jhingan will become the first Indian international footballer to play in the Croatian top-tier league, Prva HNL, as he makes a move from ATK Mohun Bagan to professional football club HNK Sibenik.
The 28-year-old will be the flag-bearer of India’s top division league, Indian Super League (ISL), to have made the transition to a European top division league. “We are very happy to have Sandesh with us. We expect good things from him as we have followed him on different platforms where we were able to see his past performances,” said Francisco Cardona, CEO of HNK Sibenik.
Named India’s Footballer of the year last month, Jhingan is already in Croatia and watched Sunday’s home win against Hrvatski Dragovoljac.
Jhingan was excited to have the opportunity to move to HNK Sibenik in the Prva HNL in Croatia. “I think I am at a stage of my career where I really want to test myself in the highest-level possible and I think this is the perfect platform for me. As I have said, it has been my desire to play in Europe and I have taken up this challenge upon myself. I cannot wait to get going and look forward to giving 100 percent at every given opportunity,” said Jhingan, who started his youth career at St Stephen’s Football Academy in Chandigarh and got a break in the top division with United Sikkim in 2011.
As a young 21-year-old footballer, Jhingan first broke into prominence during the inaugural edition of ISL when he was adjudged the Emerging Player of the League in 2014, a feat that helped him earn a place in the senior India national team making his debut in 2015 against Nepal at the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers. The defender has two ISL runners-up medals with Kerala Blasters FC where he spent six years and moved to ATK Mohun Bagan in 2020 after missing the previous season due to injury.
