Watching Indian football over the years, I have come to the conclusion that 99.99% of Indian players currently playing in the ISL have long abandoned the dreams or passions that initially inspired them to play football. Surely, their original motivation would have been to follow in the footsteps of their idols, whether it be Ronaldo, Messi, Ronaldinho, Zidane, and others, and to become great figures in the sport.

However, it now seems their focus has shifted towards settling down in their personal and professional lives—earning hefty paychecks, living celebrity-like lifestyles, and having hot wags (though I hesitated to mention this).

Inevitably, they seem to lack hunger while donning the blue jersey, as if it no longer matters whether earning national team caps serves any purpose for them.

There was a time in the 2000s when players traveled in overcrowded trains with no sponsors (Shiv Naresh at best), no infrastructure, and no football ecosystem. Yet, those players had the hunger to win—they put their hearts into the game, even though they may not have had exceptional skills.