How Indian fans tuned towards football after watching Sunil Chhetri

Sunil Chhetri, the iconic figure in Indian football, has decided to take the next step in his career by ending his wonderful and illustrious journey with the national team, with one last match under an Indian Kit against Kuwait on the 6th of June.

The most successful striker in the history of Indian football has a long-lasting impact on the team. His determination will inspire many more young and rising footballers to find the motivation to give their best for the team.

More than his team, Sunil, has made significant growth in the development of Indian football and popularizing the sport in India across various states and among different people in this highly diverse country.

In his humongous 19-year career, Sunil has seen a lot of changes in the team and the overall structure of Indian football. He was a key member in smooth inter changing from different sets of teams throughout his career.

He started his journey in 2000s with the likes of Bhaichung Bhutia, Renedy Singh and Gouramangi Singh and then lead the team later on with a new batch having players like Sandesh Jhinghan, Gurpreet Singh and Jeje lalpekhlua and now ending up with the teenagers like Mahesh, Chhangte and Vikram Pratap Singh.

Photo Credit: Indian Football

A shift from other sports to football

The rise of Sunil Chhetri has caught many eyes in India, which made a significant change in the rise of popularity in the sport across country. Many youths have turned their interest in the sport watching Sunil Chhetri.

India the cricket dominating country has started to come up in numbers in football stadiums as well. Many young fans in late 2000s took inspiration from Sunil and started watching more of Indian national team matches.

The popularity of Indian club football has also risen up after seeing the success of Indian team in major tournaments like Nehru Cup and Inter Continental Cup. Sunil's achievements have also put up Indian football's presence at the global stage.

A shift for European football fans of India

India always showed some some crazy fan following to major European leagues and their clubs. There are many long family tradition of following a particular club in some of the states like West Bengal or Kerala.

But, some of those supporters have now also started following the Indian club structure and Indian football matches. There are few fan stories where fans had made a complete shift to the Indian football after watching Sunil's outstanding goals.

Although, the past one year was not up to the mark for the Indian football but the fan support is still there for not only Sunil Chhetri but also the whole Indian football team. Sunil has always admired this fact that he got a lot of support from the fans throughout his journey.