Indian men’s football team talisman Sunil Chhetri has led the ‘Blue Tigers’ ever since he first wore the national team shirt in 2004. With a further record 124 matches in the next 16 years, Chhetri is still leading the line and scoring goals for India. .
The 37-year-old on Wednesday overtook Brazilian legend Pele in the list of most international goals scored with his 79th strike in the ongoing 2021 SAFF Championship match against Maldives.
During a press conference on Thursday ahead of India’s clash against Nepal in the final, Chhetri brushed aside the idea of comparison.
“Everyone who knows football knows that there is no comparison (with Pele). I am happy to play and score for my country. That’s all I want,” he said.
“Very little footage of the great man (Pele) but from what I can see, he was a dynamic and powerful footballer. Football was different back then, the game was brutal at that time. Despite this he scored so many goals and it speaks volumes of his great achievement.”
Chhetri is now sixth with 79 goals along with Zambia’s Godfrey Chitalu. Only Argentina’s Lionel Messi (with 80 goals), Ferenc Puskas (with 84 goals), Mokhtar Dahati (with 89 goals), Ali Dei (with 109 goals) and Cristiano Ronaldo (with 115 goals) of Portugal are preferred. We do.
Asked about his third-place finish behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the list of most goalscorers among active players, Chhetri said that he would like to focus only on his game and the time left as a professional footballer. intended to enjoy.
“There is no comparison between us. If we are all happy that I am able to score for my country then that is enough. As far as comparison is concerned, there is no comparison. We are all happy that our player Scoring well and doing my best for the country. That’s all that’s about it and there isn’t much in it. So, as I’ve said before, appreciate him for a few minutes and these numbers Ignore it,” said Chhetri.
When asked Chhetri what was his state of mind or his inspiration when he took the field for India, he said: “Gaali khata hun, ya log tarif karte hey… (People abuse or even praise). Whatever I try to forget, I go out there and try to do my best. Missing, I’ll miss goals, scoring, I’ll score, but that’s all we’ll talk about once it’s done.
“Because I don’t want to regret that I could have done this and that. I want to do everything now,” Chhetri said.
not going anywhere
When the question was how long does he want to play and how does he manage to motivate himself, Chhetri remained pragmatic.
“I tell myself, everything is going to end very soon, so I keep myself away from all the noise, be it criticism or praise, I forget it,” he said.
“I go out there and try to shift. Because I know, it’s going to end soon. And I don’t want to leave any stone unturned or have any regrets. I want to give my all now.”
“Now I’ve got a very simple mantra. Dost khade ho ja, bahut kam time bhacha hey, bahut kam game bache huwe hey, chup chaap ja aur apna best de. Thoda time pe khatam hone wala hey (I tell myself there is very little time left, very few games left, go quietly and give your best. It is going to end in no time)
“Stop crying, stop cheering, over-celebrate, stop putting yourself down because this will all be over very soon. Right now I’ll pick myself up, go out there and try to give my best because I know That it is a fact that it is going to end soon.”
Chhetri, however, added, “SC11 is not going anywhere for the next few years. So just relax.”
next chhetri
When asked exactly when will he retire, who will be his successor or the question of ‘who is Sunil Chhetri next’? He said that India needs no one else but someone who can be better than them.
“Manveer is one, I am really hoping he continues to score. Rahim Ali is one, you haven’t seen much as No 9 as he plays on the wing (for his club side Chennaiyin FC). The boy is really strong and talented. Talking about goals, I will spend my money on Anirudh Thapa. He is a brilliant player and one who has everything, a knack for scoring. Liston gives me a lot of hope. He has a knack for scoring and I can tell you from what I have seen in training. He hasn’t done well in sports so far but he is young and the goals will come. Rahul KP from Kerala (Blasters) has huge potential and is someone who is hungry for goals and is always there. They will come,” he said.
Shining Youngsters
Chhetri then went on to praise senior players like Subhashish Bose, Rahul Bheke and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu for helping guide the youngsters. He also praised the youth of the current team for their performance in the SAIF Championship.
“Definitely the performance of some youngsters. We talked about Apuia (Ralte) and Suresh (Wangjam). (Mohammed) Yasir has done really well, he has really surprised me. I think Liston (Colaco), starting the game and coming back (as a variation), is a fair talent. Everyone is getting involved. The coach has given a lot of chances to the players and whoever has come has done really well.”
“Also, these youngsters are on social media and they read everything that is talked about, though I have told them millions of times not to do it. And you can see the morale going down a bit. But thankfully we were able to control it and you saw youngsters coming and performing. When you see what Suresh, Yasir and Apuia are capable of, you know and then you start feeling comfortable,” Chhetri said about the team’s continuous improvement in performance.
Continuous Improvement
Even though he admitted that India did not live up to the expectations in the first two matches against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Chhetri looked positive for the final against Nepal.
“It was a rough start for us in the tournament. Not scoring against Sri Lanka was unacceptable. We missed many chances against Nepal as well. We were not playing against Qatar and Japan and the UAE of the world.”
“To beat a tough team like Maldives in Maldives and that too in a hostile environment (domestic fan support) was the way we needed to play. We are the dominant side in this area and I think we are peaking at the right time and we can reach the finals.”
Chhetri conceded that the mood of the Indian camp was upbeat after the pick-up in performances, the final would not be easy.
“We are the dominant side in this area – and I’m not putting any pressure on myself – but now that we are in the final, by all means we must go and we will do our best to do that.”
“They are a very good team and even though they have never won the SAIF title, it will be a tough match and we have to play good football against them,” Chhetri said.
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