Sunil Chhetri ( Born 3rd August 1984) is an Indian forward and current captain of Indian national team. The legendary Indian striker plays for Bengaluru FC in Indian Super League and is on a verge of his 100th cap in the national colours. This Indian striker is also regarded as the best football talent the country has even seen. He is also the third highest goal scorer in the category of current active footballers just after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a fact which every Indian will be proud of. On that note, here are some of the most unheard and interesting facts about Sunil Chhetri.
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1:) Early Life
Sunil was born to K.B Chhetri and Sushila Chettri in Secundarabad on August 3,1984. As a kid Chhetri had to flock from one city to another as his father was an army officer but he refers New Delhi as his hometown. He has resided in Gangtok, Kolkata, Darjeeling.
2:) Academic career
He studied at Bahai School in Gangtok, Bethany’s in Darjeeling, Loyola School in Kolkata, and Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan in New Delhi. Chhetri took admission in Ashutosh College (Kolkata), but gave up studies when he was in the Class 12 after getting a chance to represent India at the Asian School Championships in Malaysia in October 2001.
3:) First real break
He was signed by Mohun Bagan for three seasons in 2002. It was a great learning experience for him to perform in a packed stadium infront of huge crowd.
4:) Debut For India
Sunil featured for India’s under 20 in 2004. He played 3 games and scored 2 goals, but his senior national debut came in 2005 for an Indian team which was touring Pakistan.
5:) First personal achievement
Sunil Chhetri won the AIFF player of the year award in 2007 in which he helped the Indian national team win the Nehru Cup under Bob Houghton. It was his first personal milestone in the national colours.
6:) Foreign Club professional debut
Chhetri helped Panjim based club Dempo on their way to the I-League title with eight goals in 13 appearances. Later he left this club midway of 2009-2010 season by realizing his dream of playing professionally for a foreign club. He joined USA’s MLS outfit Kansas City Wizards and became only the third Indian after Mohammed Salem and Bhaichung Bhutia to play professionally for a foreign club. Read: List of most expensive transfer in football history.
Sunil Chhetri
7:) Captaincy assignment for Indian national team
Sunil Chhetri became the permanent captain of the Indian national team in 2012 with retirement of Climax Lawrence. His first major trophy as a skipper was 2012 Nehru Cup.
8:) Individual achievements
- Arjuna Award : 2011
- AIFF Player of the Year : 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014
- FPAI Indian Player of the Year : 2009
- AFC Challenge Cup Most Valuable Player : 2008
- SAFF Championship Player of the Tournament (1): 2011
- Hero of the I-League: 2016–17
9:) Most club appearance by an Indian player professionally.
He has played for 14 football clubs presently equaling the record of Baichung Bhutia the former Indian striker. Chhetri has played for -:
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–2005 | Mohun Bagan | 18 | (8) |
| 2005–2008 | JCT | 48 | (21) |
| 2008–2009 | East Bengal | 14 | (9) |
| 2009–2010 | Dempo | 13 | (8) |
| 2010 | Kansas City Wizards | 0 | (0) |
| 2011 | Chirag United | 7 | (7) |
| 2011–2012 | Mohun Bagan | 14 | (8) |
| 2012–2013 | Sporting CP B | 3 | (0) |
| 2013 | → Churchill Brothers (loan) | 8 | (4) |
| 2013–2015 | Bengaluru FC | 43 | (16) |
| 2015 | Mumbai City | 11 | (7) |
| 2016 | → Bengaluru FC (loan) | 14 | (5) |
| 2016– | Bengaluru FC | 37* | (21*) |
| 2016 | → Mumbai City (loan) | 6 | (0) |
10:) Most capped and successful Indian footballer
He is most-capped player for India appearing in 101* internationals and also the all-time top goalscorer for the national team with 64* goals. He is only behind Lionel Messi(65 goals) and Cristiano Ronaldo(85 goals) in the list of active goal scorers in International football.
11:) Besides football
Chhetri likes to play Fifa on the play station when he is relaxing off court . He is also an ardent Barcelona fan and loves to watch bollywood movies with Konkana Sen Gupta as her favourite actress.
12:) Marrying the daughter of legendary footballer
He married his long time girlfriend Sonam Bhattacharya, daughter of Mohun Bagan legend Subrata Bhattacharya.
13:) Second costliest non-cricketing athlete
He is the second costliest non-cricketer in professional sports leagues. The India football captain, who plays for Bengaluru FC in Indian Super League, earns Rs 1.5 crore which is Rs. 1 lakh less than what Monu Goyat will get in Pro Kabaddi League playing for Haryana Steelers.
