Indian football has had two names in the 21st century who represented the country at a global stage. Bhaichung Bhutia set the platform for many Indian footballers to follow a pathway and he was followed by the legendary Sunil Chhetri, who is the third highest goal-scorer among active footballers in the world, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Bhutia, who is looking forward to launching a new street football tournament in India, spoke about Chhetri and his contribution to Indian football in great awe. The former Indian football captain said that Chhetri single-handedly has carried the country’s name to newer heights in the sport and hailed the consistency he achieved as a footballer at the highest level.
“I think Sunil has served the country for a very long time. He has single-handedly carried Indian football to new heights. Someone needs to fill in, but as of now, we’ve not seen many outstanding players who have really done it yet. There are a few of them that have gone on to do well, but they’ve not really been consistent in terms of scoring goals. I feel this is where the players need to improve their consistency in performance,” Bhutia said.
Bhachung Bhutia represented India in 105 matches for the country, scoring 40 goals in a career that panned out from 1995 to 2011. For his exceptional contribution to Indian football, he also has a football stadium named in his honour and is the only football alive to have this legendary accolade to his credit.
The footballer had multiple spells with iconic club East Bengal, also representing their rivals Mohun Bagan in a couple of stints during his illustrious club career. Bhutia finished as the leading goal-scorer for India at the international level.
The mantle of scoring goals for the Indian team was taken over by Chhetri, who overtook Bhutia in no time and went on to set his own records. The 38-year-old Bengaluru FC footballer, who is currently partaking in the Indian Super League, has scored 84 goals for the country and continues to pile on the numbers.
While Bhaichung Bhutia is hailed as the flag-bearer of Indian football and Chhetri successfully took over that baton and carried it for a long period of time.
