Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, who does Sunil Chhetri idolize? Indian talisman answers
It's inching towards a month since Sunil Chhetri bid farewell to the Indian national team and international football on the fated night of June 6. Amid the mediocrity enveloping the football in the country, the 39-year-old stood out as an anomaly.
As Chhetri was making his own waves on Indian shores over the past two decades, fans of the sport across the globe saw the unraveling of two of the most distinguished careers in world football. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi defied numbers, logic, and reasoning, and wrote down a saga for ages.
But among the greats, whose playing style did Sunil Chhetri try to emulate? Whose footsteps did he follow? Whose contribution to their respective teams did he aspire to replicate?
"Between these two [Messi and Ronaldo]? Ronaldo," the Indian legend answered in a podcast with Raj Shamani.
Furthermore, he explained:
"I have learned and followed him a lot: the hard work bit, the being disciplined bit. I'm not saying Messi is not, but I have less knowledge about what he has done for it. Of Ronaldo's, I've read more, I've seen more, and I love to follow him as a specimen."
But here's the catch, before all the aficionados of La Pulga are riled up, Chhetri underlined his reasoning behind opting for the Portuguese forward as his idol. He said:
"I enjoy watching Messi more. Forget to play like them, because no one can. But to think 'I want to do something like this,' it's difficult even to think what Messi does. I'm not saying it's easier to follow, copy, or get inspired by Ronaldo, but it's just that the blueprint is easier to understand.
"When you see Messi, you think, 'Kya kar diya isne yaar? Kaise karoge?' [What has he done? How do you replicate it?]. It's magic in a way. He plays the game in a different manner."
Sunil Chhetri on Cristiano Ronaldo's tears after penalty miss in the Euros and importance of hunger in sports
If there's any Indian footballer who can proudly raise his hand when the question of longevity arises, it's Sunil Chhetri. With a career spanning two decades, 151 matches for India, and 94 international goals, he knows a thing or two about sustaining a long career in sports.
In the Raj Shamani podcast, the Khel Ratna awardee underlined that the hunger to perform, the hunger to strive, and the hunger to win are of utmost importance to any athlete.
"Whether it's a Djokovic, whether it's a Ronaldo, whether it's a Messi, all the players who have had long careers have inspired more people. One of the attributes they have is they are hungry," Chhetri averred.
After missing a crucial penalty for Portugal in the Round of 16 of Euro 2024 against Slovenia, Cristiano Ronaldo was left overwhelmingly consumed with emotions, and his eyes gave way to a stream of tears while the match was still on. Chhetri reflected on how these visuals were a testament to the former Real Madrid forward's hunger.
"You see Ronaldo yesterday, he misses a goal and he cries like a baby," he said. "It was so painful to watch him miss a penalty. I'm not a Portugal fan, yes, I'm a Ronaldo fan but it was painful. And I was watching with my mates and they were like, 'Arre ye itna ro raha hain? iska mom bhi ro rahi hain' [Why's he crying so much? His mom is crying too]."
"I was sitting there and going like, 'You'll not get it! You'll not get what he's going through right now.' Because the whole country wants him to score, the whole world is looking at him, he wants to score so badly, and then he misses. And it's live and you can't retake it. So if you're not hungry enough in sports, it's difficult to sustain for a longer time," he explained.