Sunil Chhetri vs Baichung Bhutia: Comparing the Torchbearers of Indian Football

#2 Awards and Achievements

Sunil Chhetri still have more than a couple of years of football left in his legs

Baichung Bhutia won the Arjuna Award for football in 1998 while Sunil Chhetri won it in 2011. Bhutia was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India in 2008 while Sunil is yet to win it. But he has time in his hands to do that.

Bhutia was inducted into the Asian Football Hall of Fame in 2014 while Sunil Chhetri was awarded AFC Asian Icon title in 2018. The former has been awarded the AIFF Player of the Year award 2 times in 1995 and in 2008 while Sunil has made a habit of winning it, scooping up the award 5 times so far.

Sunil Chhetri currently stands as the player who has received the most number of AIFF Player of the Year awards.

Baichung Bhutia had taken the Indian football to AFC Challenge Cup once in 2008, SAFF Championship thrice in 1997,1999 and 2005, Nehru Cup twice in 2007 and 2009.

Sunil Chhetri was also part of the same AFC Challenge Cup squad in 2008 and the Nehru Cup squad in 2007, 2009. After the retirement of Baichung, Sunil took the Indian team to the Nehru Cup title in 2012 and SAFF championship in 2011 and 2016.