Sunil Chhetri: The making of an icon

June 6. Salt Lake Stadium. India vs Kuwait. The Indian footballing fraternity will come to a standstill watching one man take the field, sporting the Indian blues with the iconic captain's armband strapped around his arm, for one final time.

Sunil Chhetri will bow out as India's most influential footballing figure of this generation.

As the sun sets on an illustrious career, football gathers to bid farewell to one of its brightest stars. With a career spanning over two decades, Chhetri's journey from a young boy with dreams to becoming the face of Indian football is nothing short of inspirational.

Unlikely beginnings

Being the son of an army man, Chhetri traveled a lot in his childhood switching schools at regular intervals. While he excelled with the ball in his feet, the thought of becoming a professional hadn't occurred to the little man at the time.

Football was meant to be a means to further his education by getting into a good institution. Destiny, however, had other plans.

The prodigy was identified by Mohun Bagan scouts during the Asian School Championships in Kuala Lumpur in 2001 and the rest, as they say, is history.

Although a center-forward by position, Chhetri's innate ability was to drop deep, play link-up, and be more participative in the build-up rather than be just a box presence waiting to put away chances.

This quality of his made him indispensable to every team he played with. He would be the lynchpin, connecting the midfield to the forward line, and subsequently scoring goals for fun.

His initial stints with Mohun Bagan, JCT, East Bengal, and Dempo were quite successful and he soon became a sought-after name across the footballing fraternity.

And when he sported the Indian colours and scored on his debut against Pakistan on 12 June 2005, he became a household name.

Talk about instant impact!

Interest from abroad

Chhetri had always been fond of playing in England and has been vocal about it too.

"England would certainly be fine and I have had talks but the stumbling blocks are the work permit restrictions," he once said.

As luck would have it, the work permit restrictions were not just a thorn, but a wall hidden in plain sight. His move to Queens Park Rangers, a London-based club was stopped in its tracks because of the work permit issues.

But when one English-speaking country denied him, another handed him a lifeline.

In 2010, Chhetri signed for Major League Soccer (MLS) side Kansas City Wizards, becoming only the third Indian back then to play in a foreign league, after Mohammad Salim and Bhaichung Bhutia.

Starboy of Indian football

Sunil Chhetri's iconic rise to stardom in Indian football can be traced back to his exploits with the national team.

In his first tournament with India, he won the 2007 Nehru Cup, India's first silverware since 1997. He scored four times in that campaign.

Following that up, he also scored four goals in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup, most notably a hat trick in the final.

He did not stop there. He was pivotal in India's triumph in the 2009 Nehru Cup as well.

Then came the 2011 SAFF tournament.

Not only did India lift the trophy, Chhetri was also the top scorer with seven goals, including three goals in the semi-final and final.

He was rightly adjudged the player of the tournament for his extraordinary heroics.

In 2012, he took up the captain's armband during the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers and the 2012 Nehru Cup triumph was his first as captain.

His love affair with Bengaluru FC

After rather uninspiring overseas, Chhetri settled into life at Bengaluru, playing for Bengaluru in the I-League - the then domestic top-flight competition of India.

He also dipped his toes in the Indian Super League (ISL) playing for Mumbai City FC, which made him the most expensive Indian player by signing him in 2015.

Chhetri became the first Indian to score a hattrick in the ISL but then returned back to Bengaluru and helped them win the I-League for the second time in three years in 2016.

When Bengaluru became Bengaluru FC as they scaled into the ISL, Chhetri took it upon himself to put the club amongst the best in the league and he did just that.

He helped Bengaluru FC win the 2018-19 ISL title and was their top scorer in the process.

Such was his impact that he was their top scorer for three consecutive seasons. whilst in parallel becoming the first player to have played 200 matches for the club and scoring over 100 goals along the way.

He currently sits at 111 goals in 267 games for Bengaluru, a record that is unlikely to be surpassed any time soon.

Amongst the G.O.A.Ts of football

Chhetri's international statistics put him up there with the absolute best in the game and alongside a certain Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

He is the third-highest international goal scorer in men's football with 94 goals, only behind the two supposed 'greatest of all times' - Lionel Messi (106) and Cristiano Ronaldo (128).

Although his ultimate dream of inscribing India's name in the FIFA World Cup books has been met with roadblocks, the foundations built can only propel the country towards that historic landmark.

Chhetri's remarkable journey from a budding talent to an enduring symbol of Indian football has been a tale of perseverance, passion, and prodigious skill.

His contributions have transcended the sport, inspiring millions across the nation.

As he steps onto the pitch for his final bow, the echoes of his legacy shall resonate with every cheer that celebrates the incredible career of a true football maestro.