The Asian Football Confederation tweeted, "94 International Goals. Carried the hopes of a nation! Thank You Asian Football Icon, Sunil Chhetri."
Frenzied scenes were witnessed at the airport this morning when Pele landed in the Kolkata after 38 years as the 74-year-old Brazilian turned emotional and stood on the floor of his SUV to wave at the crowd, who kept chanting his name.
Playing against Mohun Bagan on a slushy and jam-packed Eden Gardens on September 24, 1977 in the twilight of his career, the three-time World Cup winner was overwhelmed by the depth of talent a "little known" Indian club possessed.
In December 2017, Diego Maradona turned up in shorts, enjoyed every bit of the maddening attention even though the gruelling session in Kolkata literally drained him as he was seen drenched in sweat, pouring water on his head.
'I've come here as a commoner. Justice is needed to ensure that this incident is never repeated.'
'Very much proud of you My Pushpa... Be safe n healthy & make others healthy.'
"I love cricket. My all-time favourite is Sachin Tendulkar, without a shadow of a doubt. But now, it is obviously Virat Kohli because I love his background story of how he has achieved what he is today," the Aussie record goalscorer, who has been roped in by Jamshedpur FC in the upcoming Indian Super League said Saturday.
The former India football captain said the onus is on the strikers to deliver against Bangladesh on October 15 in Kolkata.
Dilip Kumar 'got annoyed and was about to leave the stage before things were brought under control'.
LSG players are donning green and maroon jersey, inspired by Kolkata football giants Mohun Bagan.
A fearless competitor who used brain and brawn in equal measure, Subhas Bhowmick was one of the most fascinating characters in Indian football through the 1970s with his muscular built and equally expressive carefree opinions.
Football legend Pele wound up his six-day visit to the country as a big crowd turned up at the Capital's Ambedkar Stadium to have a glimpse of the Brazilian three-time World Cup winner who battled physical difficulties to give the fans an experience of a lifetime.
Only a few players become legends in their playing days and Sunil Chhetri belonged to that rare tribe, India's head coach Igor Stimac said in a glowing tribute to the talismanic skipper, who will hang his boots on June 6.
Asian Games gold medallist and Olympian Tulsidas Balaram, part of Indian football's 'holy trinity' in the 1950s and 60s, passed away in Kolkata on Thursday after a prolonged illness, sources close to his family said.
Surajit Sengupta was part of the golden era in East Bengal when they won six successive Calcutta Football League titles (1970-1976) and the IFA Shield six times and the Durand Cup thrice.
Atletico de Kolkata gave the football-crazy city fans a night to remember in their 3-0 drubbing of Mumbai City FC as the inaugural Hero Indian Super League football tournament kicked off in spectacular fashion after a star-studded opening ceremony in Kolkata.
'I had a great ride all these 19 years. I will go as a fan and support the team wherever the team goes.'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged the junior doctors protesting the rape and murder of their colleague at R G Kar Hospital to end their fast-unto-death stir, stating that most of their demands have been addressed while rejecting their insistence on removing the state health secretary.
India's chances of the hosting the Under-20 World Cup in 2019 have brightened after the overwhelming success of Under-17 World Cup which is all set to topple China-1985 as the best attended event in the tournament's history.
India opened their Group D campaign with a 2-0 win over Cambodia where Sunil Chhetri scored a brace. Chhetri also scored the first goal against Afghanistan.
Notice for ticket holders ahead of Durand Cup semis Kolkata
Some Manchester United fans had previously urged Musk on Twitter to consider buying the club
Talented winger Lallianzuala Chhangte "would not mind" stepping up as the next number 9 of the Indian football team, after talismanic forward Sunil Chhetri's illustrious career comes to an end in Kolkata on June 6.
Mecca of Indian Football, Kolkata had a date with French football superstar Thierry Henry as he enthralled the crowd here at Rabindra Sarovar stadium by lighting the lamp at Atletico de Kolkata's home game against Mumbai City FC on Tuesday.
The FIFA Under-17 World Cup semi-final between Brazil and England has been shifted from Guwahati to Kolkata because of poor pitch conditions in the North-Eastern city.
The enormous structured global advertising machinery that surrounds every football game on the planet today? Pele was perhaps single-handedly responsible for all of it. By just being brilliant, captivating crowds, and behaving like a being from the future, doing things that STILL provoke oohs and aahs from watchers. Vaibhav Raghunandan salutes the Incomparable Pele.
Kahn acknowledged the significance of having role models like Messi and Ronaldo but emphasised the importance of nurturing Indian talent.
Kolkata hangs its head in shame as the hope of a government with a moral compass and a heart in the right place recedes into the distance, notes Payal Singh Mohanka.
Chuni Goswami was in a league of his own -- peerless -- and lived a life that will always be celebrated for being one of India's greatest.
RCB are currently placed sixth in the IPL standings with 12 points from 13 games and will take on defending champions Chennai Super Kings in a must-win match in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The All India Football Federation on Saturday suspended tournaments at all levels, including the flagship I-League, till March 31 owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
Talking to Rediff.com's Laxmi Negi, on the eve of the match against Pune City FC, Reid, the massively experienced manager of Mumbai City FC, promises entertaining, attacking football to fans of the club.
'I often wondered while watching the film/trilogy, what if Durga had lived. What if Ray made The Durga Trilogy.' Sandip Roy looks back at Pather Panchali's Durga and the woman who brought her alive, Uma Dasgupta.
Kolkata sheds its white-blue nocturnal hue with pink ball day-night Test.
Rediff.com brings you some interesting clicks from the by lanes of Indian cities that summarise the soccer madness...
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi arrived in Kolkata in the wee hours on Wednesday but more than 1500 frenzied fans were left heartbroken as securitymen whisked the Argentine superstar away through the VIP gate.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field on Saturday
The 'sleeping giant' woke up to a new dawn with the Indian Super League putting Indian football on the global map, but the national team continued to paint a grim picture, plummeting to its worst-ever rankings in an eventful year for the sport.
Gurgaon-based Bunkerhill Pvt Ltd has 61 per cent stake in the club through their deal in 2020 and after the team got a new investors in Shrachi Sports, the two firms had agreed to split the shares with 30.5 per cent each by signing a term sheet earlier this month.
