Igor Stimac: Croatian legend, wine enthusiast, pop musician, nationalist, and controversial Indian coach

A legendary defender and one of the pillars of Croatia’s first golden generation of footballers. A pop artist, an entrepreneur and a connoisseur and producer of fine wine. Signatory to a homophobic petition, and a self-proclaimed, chest-thumping patriot whose ideologies have been shaped by the Balkan war. And a coach who has raised hopes of Indian football tragics of guiding the national team to the promised land.

In a life peppered with colourful, at times controversial, nuggets, Igor Stimac has divided opinions like few others. He continues to do so even now.

On the day The Indian Express reported that Stimac relied on the advice of an astrologer to pick his playing 11 and shared confidential information with him when the national team was enduring one of their toughest phases in May-June 2022, former India internationals Gouramangi Singh and Steven Dias raised eyebrows, saying his actions could lead – among other things – to integrity issues.

A few others pointed at the recent upswing. Indeed, it is also true that Stimac is among the men responsible for the team enjoying one of its finest years – India have lost just one match in regulation time in 2023 and climbed into the top 100 of world football.

In a recent interview with The Indian Express, Stimac said he was ‘destined’ to be in India. “I don’t have any doubt about that. I am the chosen one,” he said, grinning. “I came to India to help you. I adjusted myself to India, to Indian culture, to Indian habits, to Indian differences, you know, and some of the people are saying, ‘Coach you are more Indian than many Indians’. That’s how I feel at the moment.”

Stimac is a man who laughs easily and wears emotions on his sleeve. It is also typical of him to appeal to the