'Padma Shri' Sunil Chhetri is indispensable to Indian football, and he's 34!

The 34-year-old is currently in the sunset of his career, with his replacement in the national team still not found.

Indian national team captain Sunil Chhetri was recently conferred with the Bharat Ratna award, making him the sixth footballer to receive the fourth highest civilian national honour. Chhetri was nominated in the Sports-Football field and from the state of Telangana. This award, for most Indian fans, was long overdue.

The 34-year-old won the Arjuna Award in 2011, recognizing his achievements in the field of sports. Earlier this month, Chhetri, who scored a brace, had valiantly led India to a 4-1 victory against Thailand at the AFC Asian Cup in the UAE, the biggest win for the national team at the continental championship.

The Bengaluru FC man's inspirational performance against Thailand raised the bar for the Blue Tigers in the AFC Asian Cup

Chhetri, in the same game, surpassed Argentine ace and arguably one of the greatest players of all-time, Lionel Messi, as the second-highest active goalscorer in international football. He has scored 67 goals in 107 appearances, with only Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of him, with 84 goals from 154 games.

He joins an elite list of eminent footballers who have contributed heavily to the ‘beautiful game’ in the country - namely the Late Gostho Paul, the Late Sailen Manna, P. K. Banerjee, Chuni Goswami and Bhaichung Bhutia.

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The Bengaluru FC captain took over the mantle from Bhutia and has not put a foot wrong since, displaying his impeccable professionalism and goalscoring heroics for both club and country regularly. He has led his club to two national titles (the I-league), two Federation Cups and the Indian Super Cup last year. The #11 also had a paramount role to play in Bengaluru’s foray to the AFC Cup final in 2015-16, another feat under his belt.

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The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had recommended Chhetri's name for the Padma Shri for his services to Indian football. President Praful Patel said in a statement: “Congratulations! None deserve it more than Sunil. He has been a role model for Indian football and won so many laurels for India and all his clubs over the years. I wish him all the best in his future endeavours and hope he leads us to further glories in the near future.”

Lady Luck proved to be a strict mistress as Chhetri and India were denied a shock win against the UAE

Chhetri’s video tweet in 2018, calling out fans, was recognized as the most ‘retweeted tweet’ in India for the year. The talisman had said, “Abuse us, criticise us, but please come to watch the Indian national team play. To all of you, who have lost hope or don't have any hope in Indian football, we request you to come and watch us in the stadium,” and fans had flocked to the stadium when India defeated Kenya to win the win the Intercontinental Cup on home soil.

Against Bahrain, India and its talisman were a shade of their previous two displays in the competition

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Interestingly, Chhetri looked younger than ever with a neatly-cut look during the ongoing Asian Cup. He matched youngsters like Udanta Singh and Ashique Kuruniyan move-for-move and showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon. With qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup expected to begin mid-year, he will have to walk the side out again, once again shouldering the responsibility as the team's primary goalscorer.

Sadly for Indian football, no player on the horizon looks set to match his level, at least at the moment. The Blue Tigers will face a difficult transition once the talisman decides to hang up his boots. Already recognized for his many feats and as an AFC Asian Icon, he has continued to wave the Indian football flag high.