Fare thee well, Sunil Chhetri… India will never have another!

Sunil Chhetri has decided to hang up his boots from the national team.

We, together as a generation, were embroiled in a tug of war to give Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo the throne of world football. Meanwhile, Asia was nurturing its own behemoth…

Let’s start this one on an honest note. Football is peripheral here in India. Most fans (and not all) derive their love from the game from continents faraway and from superstars they seldom get to meet. Global football came home to us when the Premier League’s glitz, glamor and Cristiano Ronaldo’s dribbling took the breath away of most of this century’s newborns. They were a few naturals, sure… and I was one of them.

I breathed football (and continue to), like most of you. And before the Ronaldos and the Messis and the Kakas were hogging headlines, I was enamored by the directness of Ruud Van Nistelrooy, the creativity of Zinedine Zidane and the robustness of the Patrick Viera-Roy Keane rivalry. And then there was Paul Scholes, the midfielder who earned praises from not just fans, but fellow footballers.

While all these stars were distant dreams, a boy closer home was doing things never seen before. Merely 5 foot 7 inches tall, he would out jump 6 foot tall defenders and was relentless on the press. A maverick at times, but you could not deny the talent he possessed. He was as fascinated by European football as much as you and I, and time and again showcased that he wasn’t just watching, he was learning. The lobbed goal against Cambodia in the 2007 Nehru Cup and the Panenka penalty against Tajikistan are just testaments.

We, together as a generation, were embroiled in a tug of war to give Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo the throne of world football. Meanwhile, he was turning into a beast, a mammoth of an athlete and an unimaginable sort of a player here on Indian shores.

The rise and peak of Sunil Chhetri

After stints with the two big Kolkata clubs, JCT and Dempo, Sunil Chhetri got a ticket to USA, and came on as a substitute against Manchester United in a friendly. He played 21 minutes against the likes of world-beaters such as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and some against the silky Bulgarian Dimitr Berbatov. Chhetri returned soon after, and a couple seasons later, was on the plane to Sporting CP.

This time, he did not get game time, at least none for the senior squad. But Portugal is known for its refined quality of football, and it had rubbed on onto Sunil. His passing had turned much more controlled; the ball wasn’t wobbling anymore, and his first-touch finishing was unparalleled in the subcontinent. Chhetri had returned home, learning a trick or two. His zeal for improvement is something people from all walks of life can learn from.

In the interim, Indian football great Bhaichung Bhutia had hung up his boots, passing on the baton. Globally, superstars such as Ryan Giggs, Carles Puyol and Rivaldo were hanging up their boots, and fans were singing hymns of ‘end of an era’. However, here in India, the story had just begun. Bengaluru FC had come into being, with Sunil Chhetri and professionalism as its poster boys.

The club made India proud, with consistent displays and good football not just at home, but also at the continental level. His team reached the 2016 AFC Asian Cup final, one of India’s proudest moments in recent footballing history. Chhetri had a huge hand (and foot) in that, scoring a brilliant 30-yard screamer against Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta`zim in the semifinal. You can revisit the brace below:

He was not just scoring consistently in dark blue (for his club), but was also disturbing scorers day in and day out in the light blue (for his national team). In an era when South America and Europe saw two monsters go up against each other in terms of goalscoring, Asia had its own behemoth. Chhetri was playing every game for the national team, scoring regularly against middle-eastern countries while also topping charts during SAFF championships and Intercontinental Cups.

In 2019 and 2023 (read: 2024), India played consecutive AFC Asian Cups after a long gap. Both of these came under the leadership of Sunil. In 2018, Chhetri had posted a plea for football fans in India, asking them to come out and watch the team play. That video had taken over the Internet overnight and had become a household story, getting a lot of love and support.

This is nothing but a small plea from me to you. Take out a little time and give me a listen. pic.twitter.com/fcOA3qPH8i

— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) June 2, 2018

He continued to do what he knows best. Scored goals and fought for his team and the crest, through and through. Chhetri was never one to go down without a fight, and he never gave in until the last whistle. He did make mistakes on the pitch, just like every Indian player out there, but had the nerves to get up and run again, fight again, win again. Players like Chhetri come once in a while, and when they do, wrap them in cotton wool and keep them for as long as they can thrive.

Ohhh, the fall…

Well, before you get your guns out, let’s face the facts first. Are you part of a WhatsApp group/social media community that discusses Indian football? Not the dormant ones, the ones that actually discuss every pass, every miss, every poor positioning and tactical errors made by the coach. If you’re part of one, you must’ve come across messages that read…‘Sunil Chhetri is done…’

‘Chhetri is slowing the team down…’

‘We lost due to Chhetri…’

‘Chhetri out…’

And other messages that were written in the same breath with similar connotations.

Point is, India has looked for Sunil for over a decade whenever a situation has gone dire. Who will it look for, next? A team will find its way, it always does (good or bad), but will it ever hit the heights it did with Sunil leading the line in the foreseeable future?

Danke, captain! Tu vas nous manquer, leader! Farewell, legend! Because you were my Bastian, my Zidane and my Scholes!

Thank you, Sunil. India will never have another…

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