Chhetri’s emergence in the mid-noughties never allowed Indian fans to miss the legendary Bhutia. That might not be the case in the post-Chhetri era. He scored many goals and created some.
Not always among the best in the world, the skills of India’s football heroes haven’t gone unnoticed. There was the blistering pace of Chuni Goswami, inventiveness of Tulsidas Balaram, aura of PK Banerjee, grace of Jo-Paul Ancheri, flair of IM Vijayan and flamboyance of Bhaichung Bhutia. Then, there’s Sunil Chhetri, the one-man army who kept reinventing himself, acted as a bridge between generations, made sure Indian football didn’t sink in the last decade. A star of his generation, the India captain announced on Thursday that he will hang up his boots after the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup joint qualifier against Kuwait on June 6.
Chhetri’s greatness is often lost in the numbers: 150 national team matches and 94 goals. But statistics do not reveal his actual impact on Indian football. When he made his international debut as a 20-year-old, Chhetri had teammates who were born in the 1970s. When he quits as a 39-year-old, Chhetri will be surrounded by those born in 2002 and 2003. Carrying the baton diligently through turbulent times, he survived several churns. Bhutia’s era was of semi-professionals where the players held day-jobs to support their football dreams. Chhetri ushered in an age of full-blown professionalism in Indian football, right from the way the players played and what they ate. They had the enterprise to go the extra mile to fine-tune their skills and the daring to dream of a career abroad.
Chhetri’s emergence in the mid-noughties never allowed Indian fans to miss the legendary Bhutia. That might not be the case in the post-Chhetri era. He scored many goals and created some. He was a striker who could double up as a winger. A forward who would rush back to defend corners. A 5-foot-6-inch tall player who leapt over towering defenders and scored from headers. Who next after Chhetri is a question that has lingered for almost a decade. It continues to trouble football fans.
