Happy Birthday Sunil Chhetri! 30 facts about India’s football captain

Has been the AIFF Player of the Year three times

21. 2011, also proved to be his most prolific calendar year for the Indian national team as he scored 13 in 17 matches and also captained the nation for the first time at the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in Malaysia.

22. Seven of those 13 goals came in the 2011 SAFF Cup, which India won and Chhetri broke IM Vijayan’s record of scoring six in a single SAFF Cup edition. At the end of 2011, he was adjudged AIFF Player of the Year, only the third player to win the award twice after Bhaichung Bhutia and Vijayan.

23. In 2012, Chhetri became the permanent captain of the Indian national team following the retirement of Climax Lawrence and won his first trophy as skipper – the 2012 Nehru Cup.

24. It was his third Nehru Cup success in as many attempts, but this was by far his best individually as he finished as the top scorer and was also adjudged the player of the tournament.

25. In November 2011, Chhetri and international team-mate Jeje Lalpekhlua had trials at Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers. However it didn’t earn him a contract and he ended the 2011-12 season at Mohun Bagan.

26. In July 2012, Chhetri was given a second chance abroad as he was signed by Sporting Lisbon ‘B’. But just like what happened in the United States, Sunil had a frustrating time in Portugal as he only managed a few substitute appearances over seven months in a team that comprised mainly teenagers.

27. Desperate for regular action, Chhetri was loaned to Churchill Brothers in February 2013 and it turned out to be a successful move for both parties as the Indian captain helped the Goan club win their second I-League title. It was his first top flight crown and he also featured in the AFC Cup for the Red Machines.

Sunil inspired debutants Bengaluru FC to the I-League trophy

28. Sunil joined newly-formed Bengaluru FC in the summer of 2013 and inspired them to the I-League title on their debut campaign. He finished as the joint top scorer in the league with 14 goals.

29. In November 2013, Sunil scored against Nepal in an international friendly in Siliguri to overtake Bhaichung as India’s highest scorer at international level. As per AIFF records, Sunil has scored 44 goals in 75 appearances. He was also adjudged the AIFF player of the year for the third time, with only Vijayan achieving the same in the past.

30. Chhetri is a self-confessed PlayStation and FIFA addict. He is a FC Barcelona fan and likes Bollywood films, with Konkona Sen being his favourite actress. He also owns an Audi.