The Athlete Who Put Indian Football on the World Map
He may not be a name taken in the same breath as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but the Indian footballer is nothing short of a star in a cricket-mad nation. The 36-year-old striker has a plethora of accolades to his name, but this year's stunning achievement of surpassing the Argentine football icon as the second-highest active international goalscorer is undoubtedly a remarkable feat. He is Sunil Chhetri.
Chhetri is one of the players who has kept the football fever alive in a country like ours. From making significant contributions to numerous Nehru Cup victories to weaving his magic in the AFC Cup final, the footballer has risen to the occasion when it mattered most.
From the streets of Delhi to Mohun Bagan, Chhetri was born a year after India brought home its first Cricket World Cup title, growing up at a time when football was hardly an aspirational sport for Indians. With the likes of Sachin Tendulkar facing international cricket during his formative years, the 5-foot-7-inch boy was eager to be the next big name. But fate had other plans.
Born in a modest, middle-class family, Chhetri couldn't muster the courage to ask his parents for a bat and pads that would cost a few thousand rupees a day. So he chose football instead. In a conversation with Sportskeeda, he said:
"The moment I realized how much a bat and pads cost, the dream ended there. I didn't have the courage to ask the man who was earning 8,000 rupees, my father, to give me just 2,000 rupees for my pads and bat."
Chhetri faced many hardships before getting his big break. Sometimes he didn't even have shoes or had to sew his own football boots to keep playing because his father, a military man, couldn't afford to buy a new pair every time. “We weren’t poor, but around the 20th of each month, things started to get a little tough. Sometimes I didn’t have shoes, or I didn’t have enough money for a trial, or I didn’t have enough money to take care of my diet.”
Stealing Money
Chhetri once revealed that he used to steal money from his mother occasionally, but one such instance changed his life forever. He straightened up after his mother hugged him with tears in her eyes and apologized for “making her son a thief.”
“That was something that shocked me. Then I realized I couldn’t act like a naughty child.”
He had his share of trials before getting his big break with Mohun Bagan in 2002. It was during the Durand Cup that he was playing for City FC of Delhi when Bagan noticed him. Seeing the youngster score some clean goals, Mohun Bagan offered him a three-year contract. He told YouthIncorporated magazine,
"I never expected this in my wildest dreams. Here's a 17-year-old being signed by a big club like Mohun Bagan, and this one's in the first team too. It felt like a dream."
International debut at 20
Three years later, he received a call-up to the national team and made his debut in the blue jersey against Pakistan in 2005. The 20-year-old Chhetri then broke through in the 65th minute, and from then on, there was no going back for this football star. It was in 2007, in the Nehru Cup, that his international career truly took off, with four goals, and the striker helped India lift the winner's trophy.
