From young prospect to living legend: An ode to Sunil Chhetri

It took years of practice, consistency and determination to become a living legend of Indian football.

Sunil Chhetri is the magnetic force that keeps Indian football fans together. He is the personification of the immense passion that Indians have towards football. The skipper of the Indian national team is the hero who saves the Blue Tigers on the pitch time after time and does not look for validation for his efforts. He is a living legend who inspires thousands of youngsters and professionals alike.

Watching Sunil Chhetri play football has the same rush of dopamine that one gets after finding unaccounted money in their pockets, or when someone wakes up naturally to find multiple hours remaining to sleep or when a dehydrated person takes a sip of ice-cold water to quench his/her thirst. Seeing him in action is often gripping, hypnotising and never dull. However, the journey has been long and arduous for the all-time leading goal-scorer for the Indian national team.

Here is a look at the obstacles Sunil Chhetri overcame, key moments from his career and why Indian football will always be in his debt:

Scouted by Father-in-law

Many football fans may not be aware that Sunil Chhetri’s wife, Sonam Bhattacharya, is the daughter of legendary Indian footballer Subrata Bhattacharya. They married in 2017 and are soon going to welcome a child into their life.

Sunil Chhetri holds Subrata Bhattacharya, his father-in-law and former coach, in very high regard. The 39-year-old started his football career under the former Indian national team defender at Mohun Bagan in 2002. “When I first came here to play in 2002, at this very ground, I didn’t know what it meant to play for Mohun Bagan, the club’s legacy, the feeling for the jersey, I had no idea. If there is one man who taught me all this, it is this man here,” Chhetri said while talking about his former coach during the Mohun Bagan Day 2023 function. 

It was Subrata Bhattacharya who gave Sunil Chhetri his break and recognised his talent. “When you are assessing young footballers — perhaps once in a lifetime, a player would come along to lift your heart. I probably did not feel that way that morning. But what I did see were two teenagers who showed hints of promise, loads of desire, and ambition. Those two kids were Sunil Chhetri and Subrata Paul,”  Bhattacharya said when Chhetri completed 15 years in international football in 2020.

Experiences Abroad

Keeping Sunil Chhetri contained in the sub-continent was never going to happen. His talent found recognition in foreign countries. Not only did Chhetri train overseas and played professional football with foreign clubs, he transformed himself as a player every time by learning from those experiences.

Famously in 2009, Sunil Chhetri had secured a three-year contract with English football club Queens Park Rangers. However, he was not given a work permit by the British government due to the Indian football team’s low rank in FIFA Rankings. Then, on 24 March 2010, he signed for Major League Soccer club Kansas City. He became the first Indian to play in the MLS and the third to play outside of South Asia.

Sunil Chhetri featured in a friendly for Kansas City against the mighty Manchester United as well, a moment that Indian football fans remember fondly. Moving on from the MLS club in 2011, Chhetri signed for Sporting Lisbon in Portugal and featured for their reserve side in the second division. Many would remember Cristiano Ronaldo coming through the ranks of the club before signing for Manchester United.

However, the 2012 move did not go according to plan for Chhetri, as he urged to be released after nine months despite signing a three-year contract with the side. It was a humbling experience for the striker, one that motivated him to work harder than ever.

Becoming a Captain, Leader, Legend

Sunil Chhetri’s ascension to becoming a living legend in Indian football is because of his performances for the national team in particular. Despite his success at the club level, Chhetri showed unreal drive and achieved a lot of success with the Blue Tigers individually. 

🇮🇳🥉 @chetrisunil11, standing alongside some of the all-time greats. Happy birthday to the man ranked No3 in the men's active international goalscorer charts.

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) August 3, 2023

At one point, Sunil Chhetri was the third-highest active international goal-scorer in the world behind legends like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Today, he has 92 goals in 142 caps for the Blue Tigers. 

There was a time when Sunil Chhetri pleaded fans to attend the games of the men’s national team to which the fans responded and came to the stands in droves. That was back in 2018 and today in 2023, the nation saw Indian football fans come to the stadium in huge numbers to see Sunil Chhetri and co win the 2023 Hero Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championships.

Trophies Galore

Sunil Chhetri’s greatness cannot be measured by any metric, such is his aura. However, a look at the number of trophies, individual and collective, shows why he is a gift to Indian football and a worthy recipient of the highest sporting honour of India, the Khel Ratna Award (the first footballer to do so).

Sunil Chhetri is the highest goal-scoring Indian in the Indian Super League with 56 goals heading into the 2023-24 season of the competition. He has won the league tournament once with Bengaluru FC during the 2018-19 season. In addition to the ISL, Chhetri has also won the I-League on three occasions, twice with BFC and once with Churchill Brothers. 

Other honours include winning the Super Cup, Durand Cup, Federation Cup, SAFF Championships (4), Hero Intercontinental Cup (2), Nehru Cup (3), AIFF Footballer of the Year (7) and more. It is safe to say that Sunil Chhetri is one of the most decorated players that India has ever produced. 

Some of his notable records include scoring the most goals for India (92), making the most number of appearances for the Indian team (142), scoring the most hat-tricks for the nation (4), and more. All of these achievements are an indicator of Sunil Chhetri’s greatness and why India will never find his replacement.

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