Sunil Chhetri
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2015
The Times of India, May 9, 2015
The striker has been the mainstay of the national football team for quite some time now and more often than not makes the difference for his team. With 14 strikes in last season's I-League, Sunil was the top-scorer and played a pivotal role in Bengaluru FC clinching the I-League title.Highest scorer for India at the international level, Sunil has won AIFF's Player of the Year award four times and was recently included by World Soccer magazine in a list of 500 most important players on the planet.
Indian Super League (ISL), Mumbai: 2015
The Times of India, Jul 10, 2015
Jamie Alter
Sunil Chhetri, Eugeneson Lyngdoh become millionaires at ISL auction
India national football captain Sunil Chhetri was the biggest earner at the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) auction in Mumbai, going to Mumbai City FC for Rs 1.20 crore. Chhetri's team-mate at Bengaluru FC, central midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh, had become the ISL's first millionaire when was purchased by Pune FC for 1.05 crore from a base price of Rs 27 lakh, but it wasn't long before the Indian captain fetched the highest price of the auction. These two names, among ten of Indian football's best to go under the hammer for the first time after missing the 2014 ISL, were the only players to attract bids in excess of a crore. Coming in at third with a price of Rs 90 lakh was India defender Rino Anto, sold to defending ISL champions Atletico de Kolkata from a starting price of just 17 lakh.
A total of Rs 7.22 crore was spent on the ten players at the auction, with FC Goa and Kerala Blasters the only teams not to buy any player.
Chhetri, a four-time AIFF Player of the Year and India's leading goal scorer, had a base price of Rs 80 lakh. Surprisingly, there was hardly any bidding for the ace striker once his name was announced by the auctioneer, and Mumbai City FC bagged him for Rs 1.20 crore; a price which co-owner and Bollywood superstar Ranbir Kapoor expressed surprise.
Chhetri's stake in July 2015
The Times of India, Jul 11 2015
INGLORIOUS UNCERTAINTIES OF INDIAN SPORTS - With ISL bids, footballers turn crorepatis overnight
Marcus Mergulhao
India may be ranked a poor 156th in the world, but its footballers have never had it so good. Following the IPL-style player auction for the second edition of the Indian Super League, a handful of footballer crorepatis has emerged overnight. In July 2015, India captain Sunil Chhetri's stake for the season rose to Rs 1.55 crore after ISL franchise Mumbai City FC paid his base price of Rs 80 lakh and the balance of Rs 75 lakh was to be footed by his I-League club Bengaluru FC.
He is now joined by domestic footballers who struck it rich at the ISL auctions. Mizo footballer Eugeneson Lyngdoh (Rs 1.04 crore), Manipur's Thoi Singh (Rs 86 lakh) and Rino Anto (Rs 90 lakh) of Kerala too made the select club, being guaranteed a season's income of over Rs 1 crore following a loan agreement with their parent I-League clubs. Bengaluru FC's players accounted for a total of Rs 4.5 crore at the auction.
Records
World’s 2nd highest international goals/ 2019
Marcus Mergulhao, Every match is war for us, says Sunil, January 7, 2019: The Times of India
So where do we start with Sunil Chhetri? That he now has more international goals (67) than Argentina and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi (65), and is second behind Cristiano Ronaldo
(85) in the list of active international goal-scorers? That he is now India’s topscorer in the Asian Cup with double the goals that the great Inder Singh scored at the Asian Cup in 1964? That he is the only Indian to have played in two editions of the continental tournament?
Prior to India’s opening battle against Thailand at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, all the chatter was how he was denied the chance to lead India and the armband instead being handed to goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Never mind coach Stephen Constantine’s rotational policy, but for many fans it was hard to digest that Chhetri was not officially leading the country.
The captaincy hardly mattered for Chhetri, though. From scoring the opening goal with a calm penalty and giving India the lead for the second time with a gem of a strike, Chhetri was at the heart of India’s stunning 4-1 win over Thailand.
2022 June: equals Puskas’ tally
Indian football team captain received a congratulatory message from EPL club Tottenham Hotspur for equalling Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas' tally of 84 international goals. “Congratulations to India's @chetrisunil11 for equalling the great Ferenc Puskas with his tally of 84 international goals! #IndianFootball,”.
As in 2024 March
March 26, 2024: The Times of India
From: March 26, 2024: The Times of India
Sunil Chhetri is set to play his record-extending 150th international match when India will host Afghanistan in the World Cup qualifiers in Guwahati. Bhaichung Bhutia is a distant second having played 88 times for senior India team. Chhetri is the only player to have scored in his debut as well as Match No. 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125. Here’s a look at some of his achievements.
