Tackling perfectly to hit a goal to success – Sunil Chhetri
The name most associated with Mohun Bagan after Baichung Bhutia has to be that of Sunil Chhetri. This 29-year old Secunderabad born striker has been associated with an illustrious list of clubs from India and overseas. He recently ended a contract with his international club Sporting Club de Portugal, to join I-League new entrants JSW Sports, Bengaluru. A look at how the career of this most popular face of Indian football progressed.
The dashing striker started off with Mohun Bagan, after his brief stint with City FC of New Delhi. Chhetri, as a part of the Mohun Bagan Club in the year 2002-2003, scored 4 goals for his team. That season, the club finished 7th in the table. Soon enough, it was the 2004-2005 season and the dashing striker only scored two goals in that season. However, the club managed to stay afloat in the National Football League and ended up at the 8th position in the local league standings. It was time now for Chhetri to move to the club JCT Mills. Midway between 2006-2007 season in December 2007, Chhetri shone as he got the AIFF Player of the Year Award, 2007 for his glittering performances for the country and his club..
Given his excellent performances for the country as well as his club, it was not surprising that he had sparked the interest of football clubs overseas. There were brief rumours about his impending assimilation in Leeds United AFC in the year 2008 and then there were talks about him being signed up for Celtic FC from the Scottish Premier League. The same happened with English Club Queens Park Rangers.
But don’t they say that persistence is the key to success? Eventually, the talented football player’s efforts and great performances paid off. On 24 March 2010, he was formally signed with Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer (MLS). It was a great moment for him as well as for all the Indians as the footballer was only the third Indian to have got a chance to play outside South Asia. Chhetri also became the first Indian to play in the MLS. Peter Vermes, the head coach of the Wizards, was quoted to have praised the player’s technique and attacking prowess.
After a 2-year stint with Kansas City Wizards, the player was back in India and after briefly playing for Chirag United and Mohun Bagan, he was called by Sporting Clube de Portugal. On 4 July 2012, news appeared that Chhetri had signed a two-year contract with Sporting Clube de Portugal and was slated to play with the reserve team. It was again a moment of pride when the player made his debut for the side in a Segunda Liga match against S.C. Freamunde, in which he was summoned in the 85th minute. His team won the match 2–0. Further, in 2012, quite fittingly so, he was made the national team captain for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification, held in Malaysia.
Recently, in July 2013, his contract with Sporting Clube de Portugal got over. He then signed a contract with new direct-entry I-League side Bengaluru FC for the 2013–14 season. In between all these appearances for national and international clubs, the player was instrumental in the success of Indian team in the Nehru Cup and other international tournaments. He was the key to India winning the 2007 Nehru Cup, 2009 Nehru Cup, the 2012 Nehru Cup and the 2011 SAFF Championship. In his 67 international appearances for the Indian National Team, he has scored 37 goals. We hope this talented striker keeps on making the country proud!