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On August 3, 1984, Sunil Chhetri was born to KB Chhetri and Sushila Chhetri in Secunderabad, Telangana. His professional career started with Mohun Bagan in 2002. After three years, he became a part of JCT, where he had an impressive three-year stint with 21 goals in 48 outings. In 2005, he made his debut for India and went on to assist India in winning the 2007, 2009, and 2012 editions of the Nehru Cup. In 2011, he also became the recipient of the illustrious Arjun Award for his standout achievements in football. In 2011, he returned to Mohun Bagan after serving the distinguished clubs such as JCT, East Bengal, and Dempo.
He played for the club only for a year and this time, he scored 14 goals in six games. After being active in the professional sport for 17 years, he pulled off the Padma Shri Award in 2019. After two years, he also got the Khel Ratna Award. In June 2024, he retired from the sport after serving India for 19 years, following his last appearance for India against Kuwait. Within a year, he also made a comeback in international football to help the national side. In his long career, Sunil has recorded massive success. He played an instrumental role in 2011, 2015, 2021 and 2023 SAFF Championships. He also became AIFF Player of the Year for a record seven times in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018-19 and 2021-22.
Sunil Chhetri’s stint with Bengaluru FC in ISL
In 2014, the Indian Super League (ISL) was launched to develop Indian football and Chhetri was one of the iconic players to be associated with the competition. In the second season, he played for Mumbai and racked up six goals in 14 matches.
In 2016, he became a part of Bengaluru FC on loan and performed exceptionally with five goals in 14 contests. Since then, he has played 182 contests for Bengaluru, in which he has notched up 75 goals. With these numbers, he is the most successful player in ISL.
