Sunil Chhetri becomes only Indian to feature at AFC headquarters
What’s the story?
Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri had yet another feather added to his cap after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) paid a tribute to him by adding his image on the wall of their headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia.
In case you didn’t know…
Sunil Chhetri has been one of the most successful football players in India and has led his country to the AFC Asian Cup twice, most recently, for the 2019 edition of the tournament. Incidentally, India had already qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup with two games of their Round 3 Qualifying campaign remaining. The Blue Tigers have drawn one of these two game 2-2 against Myanmar, while the last match is yet to take place in the Kyrgyz Republic next year.
Heart of the matter
Sunil Chhetri was featured among a host of star football players on the walls of the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A picture of this was tweeted by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Incidentally, he is the only Indian to feature on the walls at the AFC headquarters.
Chhetri has also done well on the continental front with his club Bengaluru FC, who made it to the final of the 2016 AFC Asia Cup, where the Blues faced Air Force Athletic Club from Iraq. Unfortunately, the Blues lost the summit clash 1-0.
What’s next?
Having made the shift from the I-League to the ISL, Bengaluru FC are currently on rampant form, winning three of their four matches in the cash-rich league, so far. Their exploits, both in India and in Asia, have propelled them to the 49th spot on the AFC Club rankings, making the only side from India to be in the top-50 spots. They are currently the only club from India to be in the top-50 spots of the Asian club rankings.
Author’s take
While this is yet another feather in Chhetri’s cap, the 33-year-old does not look like he is going to stop anytime soon. Hence, we are pretty sure that many more such accolades are headed Chhetri’s way in the future.