MUMBAI: India’s cricket captain Virat Kohli and co-owner of Indian Super League franchise FC Goa sees himself “being involved more, and at a larger scale” with Indian football. Hold that thought though. This will all happen AFTER he retires from cricket.
“Football has always intrigued me. I love it. I see myself being involved more, and at a larger scale. Football has huge potential in India and I want to see it grow to a great level. That would be amazing,” he told FIFA.com.
With the number of countries in the 2026 edition of the World Cup increased to 48, quite a few teams will be looking to make it to the showpiece event. And Kohli believes the day isn’t too far when India will also be represented at FIFA’s showpiece event.
“Honestly, not far off. We have improved drastically in our football over the last three-four years. With new talent coming in to make the difference, and our skipper Sunil Chhetri leading the team with amazing composure and inspiration, I see us qualifying very soon for the World Cup,” he told FIFA’s official website.
It bears noting that off the crease, Kohli’s influence is already stratospheric. The 30-year-old placed seventh on ESPN’s World Fame 100 this year, ahead of Rafael Nadal (eighth), Tiger Woods (tenth) and Lewis Hamilton (21st), while he boasts 107 million followers across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter – over double Paul Pogba and more than any other non-footballing sportsperson aside from Lebron James (117 million).
