THE RETURN TO INDIA WITH CHIRAG UNTIED
After failing to break into the Kansas City Starting XI, Sunil returned to India with Chirag United and played the remainder of the I-League season. Right at the top of his game, Sunil scored 7 goals in the same number of matches and with the way he was scoring goals, it didn’t look like he would stay in India for a long time and this is exactly what happened next.
PLAYING FOR SPORTING CP IN PORTUGAL
After Chirag United, Chhetri rejoined his former club Mohun Bagan on a 1 year deal after which he signed for Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon on a two year contract with his release clause being 4 million. But Sunil Chhetri failed to make a mark even for the reserve outfit of Sporting CP, leave about the main team. He was there for 9 months and could not even manage a start for the reserve team. Later, he said that his time at Sporting was the most difficult in his career. After just one week, the head coach sent him to the reserves and the level of football was even higher there. The pace of the game was frightening and he was unable to adapt to it. Thus, we see that irrespective of how good a player Sunil is, even he found it tough to break into the reserve side, leave aside the main team of Sporting CP. Sunil requested the management to release him as he did not want to spend his time on the bench. The management understood his decison and mutually parted ways with Sunil Chhetri and thus ended the last stint that our Captain had, outside the subcontinent.
CONTINUED SUCCESS AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL
As far as the National Team was concerned, Sunil continued banging in the goals as he netted a total of 22 goals in just 33 appearances, which includes two goals in the biggest stages of them all, the Afc Asian Cup. Sunil scored a penalty against Asian Giants South Korea and a header against Bahrain. The Nehru Cup was again won by India in 2012 and Sunil Chhetri emerged as the leading goalscorer in the tournament. Same was the case in the SAFF Championship as India won both the SAFF Championships in 2011 and 2015, with Sunil Chhetri being the Best Player of the Tournament on both the occasions. During this time, he won the AIFF Player of the Year on another three occasions, in the years 2011,2013 and 2014.
THE SHORT STINT AT CHURCHILL
Sunil came back to India from Portugal and signed with Goan side Churchill Brothers who were one of the strongest teams in the Indian Footballing Circuit that time. He played in the Afc Cup and scored a couple of goals as well. In the I-League, he managed 4 goals in 8 appearances and won his second I-League Title with Churchill Brothers.
THE DREAM MOVE TO BENGALURU FC
At this time, there was a club which was just starting to spread its wings. And the club approached India’s Captain to act as the torchbearer for the club. On first thoughts, it seemed a really poor decision on the outside for the best player in the country to sign for a brand new club. But Sunil eventually took that very decision and as they say, the rest in history. Bengaluru FC reached the epitome of success by winning the I-League in their first ever season and Sunil Chhetri was at the forefront of it all. The club quickly brought around a Revolution in the Indian Footballing Fraternity. In 4 seasons in the I-League, Bengaluru FC won 2 I-Leagues and 2 Federation Cups which amounted for 4 trophies in 4 years since their establishment. Sunil played a massive part in the success of the club as he scored a total of 49 goals in the four seasons. Bengaluru FC also took Indian Football on the global map as they became the first ever club from India to reach the Afc Cup final in 2016. Bengaluru narrowly lost out in the final but it was nothing short of a dream run. With time, Bengaluru FC earned the title of the Torchbearers of Indian Football in Asia, with Sunil Chhetri grabbing one accolade after another during his time with the club.
THE JOURNEY IN THE INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE
Sunil Chhetri started his ISL journey with Mumbai City FC and became the leading Indian goalscorer in his very first season in the League as he netted 7 goals for the club. His partnership with Haitian Sony Norde was delightful for everyone to see and he set the stage on fire in the ISL. With Indian Football going through a revolution through the Indian Super League, Sunil Chhetri was in the thick of things as far as the National Team was concerned and as Indian Football started grabbing the attention of many a young football fan.
BENGALURU FC’s ENTRY INTO THE INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE
The 2017-18 season saw Bengaluru FC switch to the Indian Super League from the I-League as the ISL put another foot forward towards becoming the number one League in the country. And Bengaluru FC were a level above every other team in their very first season of the ISL. Under Albert Roca, the team played an amazing brand of football and reached the final without much hoodoo. Sunil Chhetri and Miku formed an amazing chemistry between themselves and their combination play was such, that something like it was never seen before in Indian Football. Although BFC narrowly lost out 3-2 to Chennaiyin FC in the final, Sunil Chhetri emerged as the HERO OF THE TOURNAMENT as he netted 14 goals. Despite losing the League, the season didn’t go trophyless for Sunil as he won the inaugural Super Cup and scored 6 goals in just 4 matches in the tournament.
THE ROAD TO THE AFC ASIAN CUP, 2019
Despite all of Sunil Chhetri’s brilliance, India did not manage to qualify for the Asian Cup in 2015 and a similar story seemed to be on the cards for the 2019 edition, until a certain Legend took matters into his very own hands. Sunil Chhetri came into his very own in the Asian Cup qualifiers as India went on a 13 match unbeaten run with Sunil scoring in almost every other game and assisting Jeje in the ones he didnt score in. Sunil Chhetri was setting new records at a time when most footballers pack their bags and hang up their boots. Eventually, India managed to qualify for the Asian Cup after 8 long years and Sunil Chhetri deserved every bit of credit for it as he almost single-handedly carried India from the lowly 180s of World Football Rankings to an all time high of 96. In the Asian Cup 2019, Sunil managed a brace in the very first match of the tournament as India thumped Thailand by 4 goals to 1. But in the end, it was heartbreak for India as they failed to qualify for the next round of the tournament despite putting in a commanding show.
WINNING THE ISL WITH BENGALURU
After missing out the very first time, Sunil Chhetri continued his sublime form as he guided Bengaluru FC to their 6th title in 6 years. Bengaluru FC won the coveted ISL Title in 2019 and the expression on Sunil’s face after the game said it all, as to what the trophy meant to him. He said that he was ever so disappointed after failing to win it the last time around and thus, it meant even more to him, winning it the very next season. Thus, we see the never die spirit in our captain which talks us through his attitude of never giving up and going on trying till we eventually succeed.
And if that’s the attitude that our captain possesses, there is every reason to believe that we can put in a commanding show at the Afc Asian Cup, 2023 in China. People say that Sunil Chhetri is 36 now and there’s no way that he can continue till 2022 but the same was said about the Man when he turned 32. But the result? Well, the result can be seen in the words of the Man himself:
“It may sound strange, but I am the fittest in my life at the moment. It’s a bit weird when I say this, but it’s true. I think the knowledge and discipline is the highest in my life right now, in terms of taking risk, in terms of having the right food, and in terms of training, and that’s probably why I am this fit,”
If Sunil’s words are anything to go by, there’s no way he’s going to slow down anytime soon. And we all pray for the same, don’t we? We all want Sunil Chhetri to continue playing forever, for he has only 72 International goals to his name for now. We all want him to reach the century mark and give tough competition to a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, don’t we? Whether he will or not, only time will tell! But for now, we must enjoy what’s in front of our eyes, for it might not be ever lasting. So, we should all continue to be in awe of the Man till it actually lasts, and as to how long before we find the next Sunil Chhetri? Let it be as to how long can we continue enjoying this very Sunil Chhetri! I hope it can be atleast another 15 years if not more. And going by his fitness, I’m not asking for too much, am I?
Check out our website for regular updates of Indian Football – https://iftwc.com/ Our Social Media Handles :
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Telegram YouTube Channels – Techtro-IFTWC and Techtro Indian Football Hub