Birthday Special: 5 amazing facts about Sunil Chhetri

Admin August 3, 2022

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Birthday Special: 5 amazing facts about Sunil Chhetri — Image Courtesy: Twitter

Sunil Chhetri is a renowned footballing figure in India. He has been the center of attraction for Indian football for over 15 years. And won millions of hearts with his footballing skills.

Chhetri has 315 club appearances to his name. In which he has scored a total of 144 goals. Apart from that, he has represented India on 129 occasions and netted 84 goals, the same number as the Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas.

Over the years, he has had several laurels to his name. In this article, we have tried some of the most famous to least known facts about Sunil Chhetri the player.

Amazing facts about Sunil Chhetri

Chhetri represented Sporting Lisbon

You must have heard the name of the Portuguese club Sporting CP or Sporting Lisbon. Yes, it is the same club from where Ronaldo started his career. But did you know that Chettri played for the same club in 2012? Yes, after representing Mohun Bagan for almost 4 years, Chettri was roped in by Sporting in 2005. He represented their reserve squad for nine months.

A stint at Kansas City FC

Before Sporting, Chhetri also had a sublime run of form at Kanas City FC in 2010. There he played second fiddle to African striker Kamara. In one pre-season, Chhetri scored 14 goals in just seven games. However, he had to return home for the Asia cup in 2011. Following this, he couldn’t return, and his stint ended.

Costliest Indian player in ISL

Although Chhetri failed to impact foreign leagues, he has undoubtedly made a name for himself in Indian Super League. In the debut season of the premier Indian football tournament, he was picked up by Mumbai City for a price of 1.2 crores. He also became the first player to score a hattrick in ISL and ended the season as the highest goal scorer for Mumbai.

Most international goals by an India

The list can never be complete without stating the fact that Sunil Chhetri has scored the most goals for India. He currently has 84 international goals to his name. And there was a point in time when he surpassed Lionel Messi of Argentina.

6 AIFF player of the year awards

The fact reinstating that Chhetri is one of the best Indian football is that he has won 6 All India Football Federation Awards. This is the highest laurel awarded to the best footballers in the country. And only Chhetri has managed to win it more than five times.