New Delhi: On Thursday, legendary Indian striker Sunil Chhetri turned 39. Chhetri is regarded as one of the best footballers ever to come out of India.
Chhetri made his professional debut in 2002 for Mohun Bagan after playing for City Club Delhi as a young player from 2001 to 2002. He stayed with the team until 2005, participating in 18 games and scoring eight goals.
He played for JCT from 2005 to 2008, East Bengal from 2008 to 2009, Dempo from 2009 to 2010, Chirag United from 2011 to 2012, Mohun Bagan from 2011 to 2012, Churchill Brothers from 2013 to 2015 on loan, and Bengaluru from 2016 to the present.
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He also spent time abroad with the Sporting CP soccer team in Portugal (2012) and the Major League Soccer Kansas City Wizards (2010). These stints improved his technique and made him a more versatile striker.
Indian Sports Fraternity and fans also wished Sunil Happy Birthday:
Happy Birthday, to the man who made us dream, to the man who lifted the team in darkest days, to the God amongst Men! ????
— IFTWC - Indian Football (@IFTWC) August 3, 2023
Captain, Leader, Legend @chetrisunil11 ????????#IndianFootball #SunilChhetri ???? #IFTWC pic.twitter.com/ujRcr4C09M
Another year younger ????
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) August 3, 2023
Send in your wishes for our ???? on his birthday ???????????? @chetrisunil11 #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/KOxw3RiIFn
Birthday Special ft. Captain, Leader, Legend ????️????
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) August 3, 2023
Here's wishing the Indian football team captain, Bengaluru’s very own @chetrisunil11, a very Happy Birthday! ????#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IndianFootball #HappyBirthdaySunilChhetri pic.twitter.com/pABaiKHOqO
Happy birthday sunil chetri#CaptainFantastic#HappyBirthdaySunilChetri pic.twitter.com/xpprB06dma
— Manish Gupta (@g49403555) August 2, 2023
It doesn't matter who you are - if you dream big and if you work really hard, you can achieve unimaginable results, and that's really good for the nation
— pawan kumar paswan (@pawanpaswan777) August 3, 2023
- Sunil Chetri ⚽
Happy Birthday @chetrisunil11 pic.twitter.com/izWJhfCgzK
????????⚽ ???????????????????? ????????????????????????????????, ???????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????! To the everlasting legacy, you've built - ????????????????????????????, ????????????????????????, ???????????????????????? ????????????????????????????!
— The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) August 2, 2023
???? Getty • #SunilChhetri #HappyBirthday #IndianFootball #TeamIndia #BharatArmy pic.twitter.com/HJ8t5gVZk4
In 134 club appearances over the course of his two-decade career, he has scored 56 goals.
From 2004 to 2007, Chhetri competed for India at the under-20 and under-23 age divisions.
He scored a goal on his senior level debut for India in June 2005 against bitter rival Pakistan.
Chhetri is the fourth-highest scorer in all of international football with 92 goals scored in 142 games for India. He trails only Lionel Messi of Argentina (103 goals in 175 games) and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal (123 goals in 200 games) among active players.
Chhetri has received numerous honors throughout his club career. He won the I League in 2009–10 with Dempo, then in 2012–13 with Churchill Brothers.
Chhetri has primarily achieved success while playing for Bengaluru FC. These include the Indian Super League (2018–19), the I League (2013–14, 2015–16), the Federation Cup (2014–15, 2016–17), the Super Cup (2018), and the Durand Cup (2022).
His international professional life is equally glitzy. With India, he won the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008. With victories in the SAFF Championship in 2011, 2015, 2021, and 2023, he has also assisted India in becoming a dominant force in South Asian football.
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Additionally, Chhetri led India to three Nehru Cup victories in 2007; 2009; and 2012.
He was a member of two Indian Intercontinental Cup-winning teams in 2018 and 2023.
Chhetri also led India to victory in the 2023 Tri-Nations Cup.
Seven different times, in the 2007–11, 2013–14, 2017, 2018–19, and 2021–22 seasons, Chhetri has taken home the prestigious All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year award.
Additionally, in 2009, 2018 and 2019, he received the FPAI Indian Player of the Year award.
Chhetri has also won two significant government-sponsored sporting awards: the 2011 Arjuna Award and the 2021 Khel Ratna Award, which is the nation's top sporting honor.
This superstar Indian athlete is slated to compete for India at the Asian Games, which will take place in China from September 23 to October 8. The captain Chhetri will be under intense pressure to lead India to podium success and raise the tricolor to a new height at the continental level.
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