India maybe too far behind than other popular teams when it comes to the FIFA rankings, but that can’t steal the zeal and limelight away from their legendary captain Sunil Chhetri, who is the third highest goal-scorer among active football players in the world right now.
Chhetri has already left his mark on Indian football and his name will be etched forever in the history books as well. But, to acknowledge his achievements even further and make him a far more popular name to the rest of the world, FIFA released a three-episode series ‘Sunil Chhetri | Captain Fantastic’ recently. The series is available for streaming on FIFA+ now and it traces his journey right from the beginning of his career.
The 38-year-old has made 131 appearances for India till now and has scored 84 goals. Among active players, Only Cristiano Ronaldo (117) and Lionel Messi (90) have scored more goals than Chhetri in international football.
Chhetri started his professional career playing for the iconic club Mohun Bagan. He made his first appearance for them at 17 years of age in 2002. During the three years of his association with the club, he scored eight goals in 18 appearances. That was when he got his India call-up and made his national team debut, all at the age of 20.
The legendary player has gone on to play for 10 clubs during his career, which also includes a short stint with the Kansas City Wizards in 2010. Chhetri is one of the few Indian players to have represented a club in a foreign league.
He has also won the SAFF Championship, one of the most prestigious competitions in Asia, thrice with India in 2011, 2015 and 2021. Apart from that India also ended as the runner-up in SAFF 2008 and 2013. The AFC also named him as an ‘Asian Icon’ on his 34th Birthday in 2018 and he has been awarded with many other prestigious titles like the Arjuna Award (2011), Padma Shri (2019) and Khel Ratna Award (2021) by the Indian government over the years.
Many things along with all the details mentioned above can be seen in FIFA’s documentary on Chhetri. Starting right from his pre-teen days to the start of his professional career, from his India debut to becoming a legend, details about his personal life and many more exploits, everything can be watched in the three-part documentary.
