Sunil Chhetri (born 3 August 1984) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains both Indian Super League club Bengaluru and the India national team. He is known for his link-up play, goal scoring abilities, and leadership. He is the third-highest international goalscorer among active players, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the joint fifth-highest of all time, and is also the most-capped player and the all-time top goalscorer of the India national team.

Chhetri began his professional career at Mohun Bagan in 2002, moving to JCT where he scored 21 goals in 48 games. Sunil was part of Delhi team in the 59th edition of Santosh trophy held at Delhi. He scored 6 goals in that tournament including a hat-trick against Gujarat. Delhi lost to Kerala in the quarter finals and he scored in that match too. He signed for Major League Soccer side Kansas City Wizards in 2010, becoming the third player from the subcontinent of note to go abroad. He returned to India's I-League where he played for Chirag United and Mohun Bagan before going back abroad, at Sporting CP of the Primeira Liga, where he played for the club's reserve side.

Chhetri helped India win the 2007, 2009, and 2012 Nehru Cup, as well as the 2011, 2015, and 2021 SAFF Championship. He has also helped India win the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup, which qualified them to their first AFC Asian Cup in 27 years, scoring twice in the final tournament in 2011. Chhetri has also been named AIFF Player of the Year a record seven times in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018–19 and 2021–22.

Chhetri received the Arjuna Award in 2011 for his outstanding sporting achievement, the Padma Shri award in 2019, India's fourth highest civilian award. In 2021, he received the Khel Ratna Award, India's highest sporting honor and became the first footballer to receive the award.

Club career

Mohun Bagan

Chhetri began his professional football journey with Mohun Bagan of the National Football League after playing with City Football Club of New Delhi. After his first season with the club, the 2002–03 season, Chhetri had scored four goals as Mohun Bagan finished in seventh place in the table. The next season, Chhetri scored only two goals. The first came against Sporting Goa while the second came against Indian Bank as Mohun Bagan once again finished in the bottom half of the table, in ninth place. Chhetri then once again scored only two goals during the 2004–05 season; this time Mohun Bagan finished eighth in the league and remained in the National Football League on goal difference.

JCT

In 2005, Chhetri signed for JCT for the 2005–06 season. During that season, Chhetri scored three goals. He scored twice against Salgaocar before the third came against Sporting Goa, as JCT finished the season that year in sixth place. Meanwhile, in the Santosh Trophy, Chhetri scored two hat-tricks for Delhi in the group stages of the 61st Santosh Trophy against both Orissa and Railways. However, despite Chhetri's best efforts, Delhi were eliminated in the pre-quarter final round after losing 1–0 to Tamil Nadu in extra time.

Then, during the 2006–07 season, Chhetri scored a total of twelve goals in the league for JCT as the club finished in second place, behind Dempo. Among his best games during that season were the matches against his former club Mohun Bagan and Dempo in which he scored braces in both matches as JCT won both games 2–0 and 3–2 respectively.

Then, during the very first season of the I-League, Chhetri scored seven goals as JCT finished the season in third place. His only brace that season came against Salgaocar during the final match of the season. Midway through that season though, in December 2007, Chhetri was awarded the AIFF Player of the Year award for 2007 for his excellent form and performances for his club and country.

Interest abroad

In October 2008, it was rumored that Chhetri had sparked interest from foreign clubs. These clubs were Leeds United of the Football League One and Estoril Praia of the Liga de Honra, the second division of Portugal. During an interview Chhetri said that "Nothing has been confirmed as yet but yes, I think I am close to getting there." indicating that there was a chance of him signing in England. However, in the end, a move never materialized.

East Bengal

Before the 2008–09 season began, Chhetri signed with fellow I-League side [East Bengal]. He scored on his debut for East Bengal against Chirag United on 26 September 2008 in which he scored in the 28th minute as East Bengal won the match 3–1.

Chhetri then went on to score a crucial goal for East Bengal during the Federation Cup in which he scored the only goal against his former club, JCT, which led to East Bengal booking a place in the semi-finals. During the semi-final match, East Bengal took on arch-rivals and another of Sunil's former clubs, Mohun Bagan, in which he missed the decisive penalty in the penalty shootout as East Bengal were officially knocked-out of the tournament.

Midway through the season though, reports came out suggesting that two Major League Soccer teams were interesting in Chhetri, along with his international teammate Steven Dias. These two MLS sides were rumored to be the Los Angeles Galaxy and D.C. United. However, on 25 January 2009, Chhetri arrived in Coventry, England to begin a trial at Coventry City of the Football League Championship, thus rejecting MLS. Four days later though, Coventry City manager Chris Coleman said that they would not be following their interest in Chhetri. Four months later though, Chhetri said that he would go back to Coventry City in June 2009 for another extended trial. That never materialized however.

International career

On 30 March 2004, Chhetri played his first game for the India U-20 football team in the 1–0 victory over Pakistan U-23 team in the 2004 South Asian Games in Pakistan. On 3 April 2004, Chhetri scored twice for the India U-20 team against Bhutan U-23 team in their 4–1 victory. On 12 June 2005 Sunil scored his first goal for the senior India national football team against Pakistan.

On 15 October 2019, Chhetri became the only Indian to secure a place in the list of top 10 goalscorers in international football.

2007–2011

Chhetri's first international tournament was the 2007 Nehru Cup. In the opening game, India defeated Cambodia 6–0 with Chhetri scoring two goals. He also scored a goal in the 2–3 defeat to Syria and another in the 3–0 win over Kyrgyzstan to take his goal tally to four. Chhetri was involved in the build-up to Pappachen Pradeep's decisive goal as India beat Syria 1–0 in the final to become the first champions of the tournament since 1997. Later in 2007, India began their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. They were knocked out in the first round by Lebanon with Chhetri scoring once in the away leg (a 4–1 defeat) and once in the home leg (a 2–2 draw) resulting in a 6–3 aggregate defeat.

The 2008 SAFF Championship started with three victories out of a possible three in the group stages. In the opening game, Chhetri scored a goal in a 4–0 victory over Nepal. He scored once more in the championship—in the 2–1 semi-final victory over Bhutan; this was an equaliser before Gouramangi Singh scored India's second goal to send India through to the final. India lost 1–0 to the Maldives in the final and Chhetri played for the full 90 minutes. Later that year, in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup, Chhetri played in all of the matches and scored four goals. In the 1–0 win over Afghanistan, he was involved in the build-up to Climax Lawrence's goal. He also played for the full 90 minutes against Tajikistan (a 1–1 draw)[ and Turkmenistan (a 2–1 win). In the semi-final against Myanmar, Chhetri scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory after being assisted by Bhaichung Bhutia to see India through to the final. In the final against Tajikistan, Chhetri scored a hat-trick which enabled India to win the Cup. This automatically qualified India for the 2011 Asian Cup, the first time they had qualified for the tournament in 24 years. His first goal was originally disallowed for offside by Uzbek referee Valentin Kovalenko, who changed his mind after consulting his assistant. Hundreds of fans waited outside the stadium to greet India's new "poster boy" and India manager Bob Houghton stated, “He is remarkable, brave and honest. He never gives up.”

Initially, Goal.com stated that Chhetri would miss the 2009 Nehru Cup through injury. He played in the tournament, however, and he scored in the second match of the Nehru Cup, a penalty in a 2–1 win over Kyrgyzstan, this being first time he had completed a full match since getting injured before the pre-season tour of Spain with his club. He featured in the other three games in the round robin stage of the tournament, including the "dress rehearsal" for the final against Syria, but did not score. Chhetri was one of India's scorers in the penalty shootout victory over Syria in the final after the match had ended in a 1–1 draw. He showed flashes of brilliance and scored the second goal in a 5–2 defeat at the hands of Bahrain in the 2011 Asian Cup. He also scored a goal against South Korea at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.

He was named the national team Captain for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification which took place in Malaysia. On 16 November 2011 Chhetri scored in the 39th and 53rd minute for India against Malaysia in a friendly match played at the Salt Lake Stadium. The match ended 3–2 in favour of India. On 11 December 2011 after scoring a goal in SAFF Cup's final he set a new record by scoring seven goals in a single edition of the SAFF Championship surpassing I. M. Vijayan's record of six goals in the 97 edition.

2012–2016

On 22 August 2012, Chhetri scored a goal with a header in the added time of the first half against Syria in the first match of 2012 Nehru Cup where India won the match 2–1. In the second match, which was on 25 August he scored two goals against Maldives, one goal coming from penalty where the team won 3–0. In the final against fancied opponents Cameroon, Chhetri scored from a well-taken penalty kick to equalize the score at 2–2. In the ensuing penalty shootout which India won 5–4, Chhetri went as the second kick-taker from India and scored.

2017–2021

On 11 October 2017, Chhetri scored and assisted in a 4–1 home win against Macau in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, with this win they qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup after missing out in 2015. Chhetri captained India to a 13 match unbeaten run before losing the final match to Kyrgyzstan. Nonetheless, not only did India qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup but also managed to top their group. He was among four renowned Asian players including Ali Daei, Sun Jihai and Phil Younghusband to be chosen for the seeds for the upcoming Asian cup.

In June 2018, Chhetri scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 win over Chinese Taipei in their first match of 2018 Intercontinental Cup. However, after this match, Chhetri was disappointed with the poor turnout at the stadium and he uploaded a video on Twitter requesting people to come to Mumbai Football Arena to support the Indian team. His video went viral and garnered widespread support from fans, celebrities and legendary cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. The stadium was packed with exuberant crowd for the rest of the matches. In the second match of the tournament, which was also Chhetri's 100th international appearance for India and also scored two goals including a goal from penalty spot in a 3–0 victory over Kenya. Chhetri scored a goal in the next match against New Zealand, but the match ended 2–1 loss for India though India qualified for the final. On 10 June, Chhetri scored twice again in a 2–0 win over Kenya in the final to win the Intercontinental Cup title and also equalled Argentina's Lionel Messi's tally of 64 international goals, making him the joint-second active international goalscorer at that time in front of Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo. He finished as the top scorer of the tournament with eight goals. Chhetri's brace against Thailand on 6 January 2019 helped India to get a historic 4–1 win over them in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. On 7 June 2021, Chhetri scored twice in a 2–0 win over Bangladesh in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.[126] On 13 October 2021, he scored twice again in a 3–1 win over Maldives in the 2021 SAFF Championship, making him the joint-sixth all time international goalscorer at that time, and the third highest active international goalscorer in football, behind only to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. On 16 October 2021, he scored again in a 3–0 win over Nepal in the final of the 2021 SAFF Championship, equalling Messi's 80 international goals.

2022–present

Due to some injuries after 2021–22 Indian Super League season, Sunil was not able to participate for International friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus which were held in March 2022. Then he made his appearance against Jordan in an international friendly fixture which was played as a part of preparing for 2023 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers which was going to be held in June 2022.

On June 8, 2022, Chhetri played against Cambodia in 2023 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers where he scored a brace, from a penalty spot and a header from a cross from Brandon Fernandes, by which India won 2–0 in Salt Lake Stadium. In the next match against Afghanistan, he scored from a freekick taking his international goals tally to 83. India won 2–1 in the match. Chhetri scored his 84th goal against Hong Kong in a 4–0 win in the next match. India qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup with Chettri becoming the top scorer in the third round of the qualifiers with 4 goals. With 84 goals to his tally, Sunil is currently the third highest international goalscorer still actively playing, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and the joint-fifth highest overall with Ferenc Puskás.

Personal life

Sunil Chhetri was born on 3 August 1984 to K. B. Chhetri, an officer in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers of the Indian Army, and Sushila Chhetri in Secunderabad, India. His father played football for the Indian Army football team while his mother and her twin sister played for the Nepal women's national team. Chhetri started playing football from a young age taking part in various tournaments.

On 4 December 2017, Chhetri married his long time girlfriend Sonam Bhattacharya who is the daughter of former Indian international and Mohun Bagan player Subrata Bhattacharya. Sunil Chhetri was named an 'Asian Icon' by AFC on his 34th birthday in 2018. He signed a 3-year deal with global sports giant Puma starting from 2020.

On 27 September 2022, FIFA launched a documentary on FIFA+, of three episodes named 'Captain Fantastic', which captures a lot of what is unseen and unheard about Chhetri, be it his pre-teen anguish, his debut for India at age of 20, his romance with his future wife and his early days and peak as a football player with many awards and records under his belt.

Player profile

Style of play

Sunil, generally, plays as a left winger in his club football to help and supply his foreign centre forward. But for national team, he generally plays as a centre forward which helped him to act as a finisher and also to score 84 goals from 125 Appearances for his national team with a better goals per game ratio than his club football career. Chhetri's style of play increasingly features elements identical to Kom's trademark never-quit commitment and sheer grit. Where he was once all spark plug and no gears, now it's watchful cruise control, but without concession on any scoring opportunity. In his entertaining From Delhi To The Den (written along with Owen Amos), the former India manager Stephen Constantine says this "hard-working striker with superb technique" is crucial to team spirit because he embodies fearlessness. You can see it in the goals he racks up, one after another: the astonishing 80-yard run foxing seven separate defenders to score against Kyrgyzstan, the imperious chip over Kenya's outclassed goalkeeper, the edges, parries and headers piled up relentlessly to break every Indian record.

"Chhetri is in a category all by himself", says Marcus Mergulhao, Goan sports journalist of The Times of India, who is himself one of Indian football's most respected institutions. He told me, "As a player, he has made youngsters fall in love with the game. As a person, he has made the media take note. He is the face and voice of Indian football, who has inspired a generation and given us hope. What's more, he's playing his very best at the moment. The last three years have been phenomenal. The ultimate gift the current crop of footballers can give back to him is take India among the top ten in Asia, and play against the top teams on a regular basis. Chhetri would be pleased with that."

Mergulhao says the superstar "is a different player and an extremely different person from the one that I had coffee with for the first time in the summer of 2009. It is his stints abroad that changed everything – at the Sporting Kansas City in the United States and later with Sporting CP in Portugal. Those experiences opened his eyes to another, more professional approach, more efficient ways of training, and probably showed him just how much ground he needed to cover. He didn't get to play very much, but by the time he returned he was clearly transformed, and you could see on the field that he was clearly a cut above the rest." While still with Sporting CP, Chhetri was lent to the Goa team Churchill Brothers FC Goa, and Mergulhao recalls one crucial game when "with just a few minutes left, Chhetri stepped up and scored from a free kick so effortlessly that you could tell this man had astounding self-belief. The Brazilian star Roberto Mendes da Silva Beto was also in that side and the regular free kick taker, but Chhetri knew what he was doing, showing incredible poise and confidence. You have to remember that in the first ten years of his career, this player did not win any league title, then in the next seven years, he won four. That's how you understand Chhetri as a footballer, and the influence he has over Indian football." Sunil also likes to score by dribbling the defenders with his fake touches and also from long rangers like how he did against some teams like Johor Darul Ta'zim in 2016 AFC Cup.