Kolkata: Star Indian defender Sandesh Jhingan has agreed to terms with a top-division Croatian club HNK Sibenik fulfilling his dream to play in Europe. The ATK Mohun Bagan footballer thus becomes the third Indian male to play overseas after Bhaichung Bhutia and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
The Indian Footballer of the Year had always dreamt of playing in Europe and was eyeing opportunities for the last two years but that didn’t happen after picking up an ACL injury and also due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to reports, Jhingan had offers from Austria, Greece and Croatia but the Indian chose the third signing for HNK Sibenik. “We have an agreement in place with HNK Sibenik. All efforts are now on to get him to Croatia as soon as possible,” Jhingan’s representative, Anuj Kichlu from the Madrid-based Best Of You Sports, told TOI.
“There were several offers for Sandesh last year but with Covid-19 restrictions, it became very difficult,” said Kichlu. “This year, there were four different clubs who reached out to us. After considering the different types of leagues and offers, HNK Sibenik looked like the best fit for Sandesh. Croatia, after all, are World Cup finalists and the league has grown a lot in the last few years.”
Jhingan who was playing for ATK Mohun Bagan last season had a contract of five years with the Kolkata-based club, with a clause of opting to leave if a European offer comes on board. Hence with the interest of the Croatian club, the ATKMB side had to let go of their defender despite knowing that his absence would impact them heavily in the upcoming AFC Cup stints.
HNK Sibenik play in the top-tier Croatian Football League which is also known as Prva HNL or 1. HNL or for sponsorship reasons as the Hrvatski Telekom Prva liga. The tournament consists of 10 teams, who play against each other four times tallying a total of 36 matches. Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb are also in the same League.
Last season, Sibenik finished sixth in the league but have struggled this year with just one point from their first four matches. The addition of 28-year-old Jhingan to HNK Sibenik would prove beneficial for both the club and the defender. Jhingan started as an Emerging Player of the Year in 2014 and has worked his way up to be the Footballer of the Year in 2021.
