“As soon as I handed him the token (amount) of Rs 1000, he was elated — as if he had got a cheque worth lakhs of rupees. He was very happy and shared with me that with that money he wanted to give a treat to his friends,” Sajid recalled.
Chhetri was even offered his Maiden culb contract worth INR 6500 by Sajid.
Sajid met Sunil when he was 16 years old, during his schooling period at Mamta Modern senior secondary school. It was Nageshwar Rao, a player of Sajid’s football club because of whom Sunil and Sajid were able to meet eachother.
“I am not in touch with Sunil but I still remember the first time I took him and another player, Manoj Joshi, to Kolkata in a train to sign up for Mohun Bagan in 1999”- Sajid added in an interview.
“During that journey, I told him that he really had a high potential and only if he remained focussed, nothing would stop him from playing for India. He proved my words right.” said the player’s childhood coach.
“The footballer’s leadership, legacy and achievements.”
The Indian football team is not something that the country can really boast about, having never played in the FIFA World Cup, and almost always languishing in the bottom half of FIFA’s rankings. It was Chhetri who rose the bar higher thus, it is a testament to Chhetri’s leadership.
The third-highest active international goal scorer, Chhhetri will receive one last opportunity to play in front of his adoring home fans at the Salt Lake Stadium before he brings the curtains down on a 19-year-long career.
Legacy of India”s top player
In a career that spanned over 19 years, the Arjuna Award winner has 94 goals in 150 matches on the international stage. The most-capped Indian footballer is the third-highest goal-scorer on the global stage with icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi ahead of him.
On November 3, 2021, Chhetri became the first Indian footballer to win the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, the highest honour for a sportsperson in the country, adding another grand feather to an already impressive cap.
While Chhetri was a known name in football circuit of Asia in 2008, it was his hat-trick in the final of the AFC Challenge Cup that really established him as the next big thing in Indian Football after Bhaichung Bhutia.
His sensational goal tally also ranks him fourth in the all-time list among international goal-scorers too, right behind the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ali Daei, and Lionel Messi.
You know all about Ronaldo and Messi, now get the definitive story of the third highest scoring active men’s international.
Sunil Chhetri | Captain Fantastic is available on FIFA+ now 🇮🇳
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 27, 2022
FIFA took to their official handle on X, to post a picture of the three currently active legends, placing Chhetri at third for being the third-highest international goalscorer in active duty, FIFA the top football body took their time to make and release a beautiful documentary about our Captain Fantastic. The documentary shows his detailed leadership and sharp mind about his Indian team captaincy.
Virat’s reaction on the 39 year old man’s retirement
India’s batting maestro Virat Kohli revealed that ace India footballer Sunil Chhetri messaged him before announcing his decision to retire from international football. A player who redefined the standards of Indian football, Chhetri emerged as an inspiration not only for his nation but also in the international circuit.
Taking to his social media handle on Thursday, the footballing icon said he would don the national jersey one last time in an international fixture against Kuwait on June 6.
No can take Chhetri’s place in the Indian football team as he was one of the most unique gem of India.
“Over the years he has sharpened his decision-making instinct inside the penalty box to emerge India’s top scorer. This is a special talent which will be hard to replace,” said Sukhwinder Singh.
