Chhetri still takes advice from former captain Bhutia who has a huge influence on him.
'At the same time, this may encourage some youngsters in some parts of the country to pursue football.'
The Blues will look to bounce back and stay in the hunt for the first spot, though they now trail the top-placed Mohun Bagan Super Giant (36) by eight points (28), slightly undoing their impressive run in the earlier parts of the season.
Chhetri expressed his desire to play the Asian Cup on home soil
India captain Sunil Chhetri added another feather to his illustrious cap as he overtook Argentina star Lionel Messi to become the second-highest goalscorer among the current players in international football.
AIFF President Praful Patel congratulated Chhetri on being conferred with the Khel Ratna.
Blue Tigers rise to third spot.
Sunil Chhetri became the 8th top scorer in international football after equalling Brazil legend Pele's goal tally.
Former hockey captain P R Sreejesh was chosen for the Padma Bhushan, while Ravichandran Ashwin was among the Padma Shri winners.
Chhetri's first professional contract was with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan at a tender age of 17. It was a big challenge to overcome for a teenager and he buckled under pressure at times.
Sunil Chhetri became the joint second highest international goal scorer among active players along with Argentine superstar Lionel Messi
Sunil Chhetri, who will complete 15 years in international football on June 12, is India's highest goal-scorer with 72 strikes from 115 matches. He is the second highest goal-scorer in international football in the world among active players behind Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentine maestro Lionel Messi.
Till the time I play sport, I'll train like a maniac, the Indian cricket captain tells national football skipper Sunil Chhetri in an Instagram Live chat, credits trainer Shanker Basu for his physical transformation.
The India football captain said others players in the side are very much capable of outperforming him.
'When the girls said they want to play football, the mothers were encouraging.' 'It was the fathers who were against the idea.'
Talismanic Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri, on Tuesday, rated Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all time but did not include Argentina among his favourite four teams to lift the World Cup in Russia.
'If we are in the first 10, you are giving yourself a realistic chance to play against the best in Asia and then you always have the answer to how much you have to achieve more'
To say Sunil Chhetri and Lionel Messi in the same breath is more than a little odd, is what the talismanic Indian striker himself felt once or twice.
The fiercest cyclone to hit West Bengal in 100 years destroyed mud houses and crops, and uprooted trees and electric poles.
A 56th-minute penalty strike from Sunil Chhetri was the difference between the two teams
Talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri scored in his milestone appearance but India lost 1-3 to higher-ranked Curacao in their opening match of the King's Cup football tournament in Igor Stimac's first game in charge, in Burirasm, Thailand, on Wednesday.
Chhetri has played for India 142 times and has scored 92 goals, the most by an Indian. He is also currently the third most prolific scorer in international football among active players, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Captain Sunil Chettri starred in India's 5-0 victory over Chinese Taipei, registering his third career-hat-trick, but the feat did not invoke wild celebrations from the striker, as he is someone who does not like to "celebrate outrageously" on the field.
Mohammedan Sporting suffered a heartbreaking defeat in their Indian Super League debut, conceding a stoppage-time goal to recently-crowned Durand Cup champions NorthEast United FC in Kolkata on Monday.
Bhaichung Bhutia and I M Vijayan were there, the fans too were there, and the magnet that drew them all into the Mumbai Football Arena for India's Intercontinental Cup game against Kenya was Sunil Chhetri.
Marquez had only two training sessions with the team before naming a 26-member squad featuring new and returning players as India adapts to life after Sunil Chhetri's retirement.
'I've come here as a commoner. Justice is needed to ensure that this incident is never repeated.'
The India football captain admitted there has been a "steady growth" in Indian football since that first day he wore the national shirt.
Veteran striker Sunil Chhetri will be spearheading the Indian challenge and besides his longtime teammate Sandeep Jhingan, he will also be able to avail the services of Chinglensana Singh and Lalchungnunga.
Impressed with the standard of football in the ongoing Indian Super League, India captain Sunil Chhetri feels the newly-launched tournament is an ideal platform for youngsters to perform and open the gates for selection to the national team.
Skipper Sunil Chhetri found the target twice as a dominating India thrashed Guam 4-0 for their second victory in as many matches in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, in Yangon, on Monday. Thanks to the convincing victory, India, with six points, are very much in contention for a berth in next year's AFC Challenge Cup.
Bayern come from behind to beat gutsy Mainz 2-1 and widen gap.
'It's about experience. My players were fit, in fact fitter than Oman, but they were more experienced.' Coach Stimac rues India's one-man attack after Oman agony
Qatar rode on a controversial goal to emerge 2-1 winners against India.
Following a virtual meeting on June 16th, 2024, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced a change in leadership for the Senior Men's National Team.
Both the doctors -- Mani Chhetri and Pranab Dasgupta -- who were earlier questioned by police, were arrested from their residences in Kolkata on Friday morning, Joint Commissioner of Police Damayanti Sen said.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
India captain Sunil Chhetri has urged fans to be patient with the team and coach Stephen Constantine after the national team's yet another shambolic qualification campaign for the 2018 soccer World Cup.
It also showed that a side placed 102nd in the FIFA World Rankings can thwart a team placed 77 places above them. And India did keep the mighty Aussies out for 50 minutes before a fatal error saw the Blue Tigers punished after all the good work.
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