Paralympic gold-winners Avani Lekhara, Sumit Antil, Pramod Bhagat, Krishna Nagar, Manish Narwal were also given the Khel Ratna at a dazzling awards ceremony on Saturday.
Sunil Chhetri played like a man possessed as his superb hat-trick ensured a convincing 3-1 win for Bengaluru FC against FC Pune City in an entertaining second leg semi-final of this year's Indian Super League.
Though Kerala Blasters battled valiantly, Chhetri scored the winner with a brilliant header in the 55th minute to preserve his side's unbeaten record in the ISL.
Chhetri is the lone surviving member of the 2011 team who lost all three group games in Qatar but the 34-year-old is determined to make a mark in what is potentially his final appearance in the continent's biggest tournament next month.
Sunil Chhetri scored a brace to put himself on par with Lionel Messi and lead the home side to Intercontinental Cup title triumph with a 2-0 win over Kenya in the summit clash, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
A 56th-minute penalty strike from Sunil Chhetri was the difference between the two teams
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.
India enter round of 16 in men's football
Chhetri is a star striker for both India and Bengaluru FC.
Despite Sunil Chhetri's none-too-impressive outing, national football team coach Bob Houghton backed the US-returned striker moments after India registered a convincing win over Namibia in an international friendly at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi 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.
Bayern come from behind to beat gutsy Mainz 2-1 and widen gap.
Skipper Sunil Chhetri made it a fairytale 100th international game with a double strike as India recorded a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Kenya
The All India Football Federation is set to recommend Sunil Chhetri for the country's fourth highest civilian award -- the Padma Shri -- a huge recognition for the nation's all-time leading goal-scorer should he get the honour.
The India football captain admitted there has been a "steady growth" in Indian football since that first day he wore the national shirt.
India began the year on 97 in FIFA rankings, but after two wins, four draws and seven losses, the country ended 2019 at 108
Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri is highly impressed with the country's U-16 and U-20 sides, who have punched above their weight in recent times, and said they are capable of achieving bigger things in the future.
Stimac, whose contract was terminated on Monday, coached India for five years.
Pritam Kotal said inspired by the fitness and diet regime of Virat Kohli, he has become health conscious of late.
The 'Pass the message to kick out coronavirus' campaign calls for people around the world to follow five key steps to protect their health in line with WHO's guidelines.
Looking to lead by example, star striker Sunil Chhetri said the Indian football team is "fit and hungry" going into its opening 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Oman.
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.
India skipper Virat Kohli, on Wednesday, said he was 'appalled' after hearing about the death of a pregnant elephant in Mallapuram, Kerala who ate cracker-stuffed pineapple allegedly given by a local.
Images from Indian Super League matches played on Saturday.
India lost all their three matches and without scoring any goal in the Asian Cup.
India's star striker Sunil Chhetri is in doubt for India's Asian Cup qualifier against Kyrgyzstan as well as the international friendly against Lebanon next month, according to his I-League club Bengaluru FC's chief executive officer.
Qatar rode on a controversial goal to emerge 2-1 winners against India.
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.
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.
Only Brazilian superstar Neymar Junior (0.68), Ali Ashfaq (0.68) of Maldives and Edin Dzeko (0.63) of Bosnia have a better strike rate then Chhetri.
Gurpreet was in the thick of things when the ball went over the line and out of play.
'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
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.
Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri on Monday urged the entire nation to root for his club Bengaluru FC as they chase a historic final berth in the AFC Cup in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Bengaluru FC, the I-League football champions will host Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim FC -- in a crucial Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup second-leg semi-final. The first-leg semifinal ended in a 1-1 draw.
'We are a team who hate to lose, and we have proven it in recent times. We are working as per the plan'
The former India football captain said the onus is on the strikers to deliver against Bangladesh on October 15 in Kolkata.
An injury-time goal by captain Sunil Chhetri saved India some embarrassment in a 1-1 draw against Bangladesh in their second group match at the SAFF Football Championship in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
Bengaluru FC rode on Sunil Chhetri double strike as they beat Salgaocar FC 3-2 in their Group B league match as the 36th Federation Cup football tournament kicked off in Vasco.
In news that will delight hordes of Indian football fans, India captain Sunil Chhetri has reportedly joined Portugal's premier league club Sporting Lisbon.
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