Chhetri Feels Football Can Also Be a Career

Indian football skipper Sunil Chhetri knows the tag means virtually nothing in a cricket crazy nation. But he has been at the game for more than a decade, flourished from Delhi and carved a niche for himself with some great goals. He has not tasted too much of success with foreign clubs but his current dream run with Bengaluru Football Club, a new team in the I-league has triggered a soccer wave in India's garden city. Chhetri is happy, he said in an interview to ATP.

Excerpts:

How has football evolved in India ever since you got into the groove?

It’s a journey I am still on and it has been fantastic to say the least. Football has surely come a long way over the years. There are more people who are aware of the scene here; the media is doing a great job to promote the game as is the AIFF. Games are televised and the reach has been fantastic. A Bengaluru FC home game is the best example of how the game has moved ahead in the country. We have packed houses every game, fans chanting and traveling to away games. It’s special.

After Baichung, you are the face of Indian football...

... don't really know about being the face of Indian football but if I am able to inspire youngsters to take to the game with serious dreams then that would make me happy. As for Baichung, he will always be an inspiration to all of us.

You have been in top form for your new club. Is that helping?

It’s been only six months but the journey at Bengaluru FC has been nothing short of a dream run. I’m playing in a new position and have begun digging in my heels there. The club, the coach, the infrastructure – all of it is top class. Everything is going really well for us as a team and I’m happy if my success reflects in results for the team. At this moment, I am solely thinking about Bengaluru FC.

You are the season's highest scorer. Has foreign experience elevated your skills and performance?

Any experience is always handy, be it in India or abroad. Every coach, team and experience adds a new dimension to your game. But I must say the professionalism I have experienced in clubs across the shore have surely bettered me as a player.

India is abysmally low at 154 out of 210 soccer playing nations. When can we see the winds of change?

At the risk of sounding clichéd, I would say we need good infrastructure. I can say with a lot of confidence that we aren’t short on talent in the country. But it requires many aspects to walk hand in hand for India to grow as a football giant. These are easier said than done but definitely not impossible. It is going to take the coming together of everyone to make this happen.

India will host the U-17 World Cup and could even get the 2015 Club World Cup. Will that mean anything?

In winning the bid to host the 2017 Under-17 World Cup, the AIFF has opened up a massive door for positive change. To be able to bring the 2015 Club World Cup would only double the effect. It lets the rest of the world see what India has to offer. It puts the country’s football o the global map.

ATP