Baichung Bhutia - A fitting farewell to a fabulous player

For a country that has not had much significant to offer to the footballing world, Baichung Bhutia is our shining light. Hence, his decision to hang up his boots sent shock waves to millions of fans. Surely, one of our greatest players deserved much better – a swansong appearance, a fitting farewell – but none happened, none until the AIFF decided to offer the star striker to make an appearance, one last time, against the mighty Bayern Munich, that is. The AIFF has also asked Bhutia to lead the squad against what is rumoured to be a full strength Bayern Munich side.

‘The Sikkimese Sniper’, as he is known, was the face of Indian football during his illustrious 16 year career, and his final game against the Bavarians will be another feather in his cap, perhaps the most prominent one. Not that Bhutia’s career was bereft of noteworthy achievements – the Padma Shri, the Arjuna Award, being the first Indian player to play in Europe( before people lynch me, Mohammed Salim only played 2 friendlies for Celtic), trials with esteemed EPL clubs like Fulham and Aston Villa, over 100 international appearances for India, prolific scorer in club football, torchbearer of Indian football, has a football stadium named after him and like IM Vijayan said, he is “God’s gift to Indian football. But his final game for India, for whom he has played his heart out and made the team look much more dangerous than they truly were, will be an emotional affair and will be the moment he will remember for the rest of his life. Oh yes, he also won a dance reality show called Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa.

I was never really an ardent fan of Baichung Bhutia, for I haven’t had the opportunity to watch him play often enough. It was only through newspaper articles and the occasional video from which I learnt about his goal scoring prowess, his never-say-die attitude and the immense talent he possesses. I still remember the first, and only, time I saw Baichung Bhutia live, against Japan in Bangalore. He chased the ball like there was no tomorrow if India lost the game and even rammed into defender Alex, got up and threw him a flurry of abuses. He wasn’t scared, he wasn’t overwhelmed, he wasn’t intimidated – it seemed he was only there to ensure India did their best. Japan were a class apart though, winning the game 3-0, but Bhutia had earned respect for wearing his heart on his sleeve.

Giving his all for the Indian team has not been the only thing that Bhutia has done to make an Indian football fan proud. He has also showcased his skills for clubs outside of India. He became the first Indian to have played in Europe when he was picked up by Bury FC. The capture by Bury followed unsuccessful trials at Fulham and Aston Villa. What would have been if Bhutia played against the greats in one of the best leagues in the world I’ll let you wonder. The stay at Bury did not prove to be fruitful, but the Sikkimese Sniper came back home a different player, a more lethal one. He also had two stints with Perak FA and Selangor FC in the Malaysian Super League.

He might not be the type of player who became an icon at a club with one long stint, for Bhutia moved clubs almost as often as he scored goals for them. But he will be most remembered for his performances with East Bengal. He spent 9 seasons for the club that was formed in 1920, scoring more than 50 goals. What set Bhutia apart from the other Indian strikers was the magic that was waiting to burst out any moment he got the ball – that is how he started his professional career according to I.M Vijayan who once said of Bhutia’s superb ability -

I remember it was the 1993 Durand Cup semi-final, East Bengal versus the Border Security Force. The match was forced into extra time and a 16-year-old Bhutia walked on to the pitch. A lofty cross came into the box, out of nowhere; Bhutia leapt up, did a bicycle kick and smashed the ball into the goal.

Perhaps, the striker’s most important contribution to Indian football, apart from his superb performances, was nurturing Sunil Chhetri. The duo have played many a game together and Bhutia has played his part in ensuring Chhetri became a feared striker. On the occasion of Bhutia retiring from football, Chhetri had tweeted thanking Bhutia for all his help:

‘Baichung Bhutia you were, are and will always be my idol and inspiration .. Thank you so much for everything. #thebestever (sic)’

Tributes and thanks haven’t been from Sunil Chhetri alone. Others like I.M. Vijayan, Jo Paul Ancheri, Nirmal Chetri and Renedy Singh have also showered praises on the star striker and much more will pour in once he finishes his game against Bayern on January 10^th. You would count on Bayern Munich to be at their efficient best, but if there is one thing Bhutia has shown, it is the ability to spring a surprise when one least expects it, and wouldn’t that be the perfect way to say goodbye!

The sun may have set on a truly illustrious career, but Baichung Bhutia has shown us that a superstar can pop out of nowhere and delight a nation. We may not know yet, a 16 year old could just be belting an unbelievable bi-cycle kick to score a match winning goal at this very moment.