One of India’s greatest footballers, Sunil Chhetri reveals he was under so much pressure while playing in Kolkata early in his career that he cried many times and even contemplated quitting the sport. He had to call in his armyman father for support.
Chhetri’s first professional contract was with Kolkata giant Mohun Bagan at a tender age of 17. It was a big challenge and he buckled under pressure at times.
Tagging with Bhutia
“The first year was good. I used to get 20 minutes or 30 minutes gametime in matches and people used to tag me with Bhaichung Bhutia and what not. But football in Kolkata teaches you very quickly,” Chhetri was quoted as saying by indiansuperleague.com.
“The crowd turns hostile when you start losing and there were times I used to cry. Losing is not an option in Kolkata. It’s not easy, a lot of players even quit. There were instances which shook me and I even called my father back home once and said that I don’t think I should do this.”
Story continues
But Chhetri, now 35, did not quit as his family backed him to the hilt to continue his football career. “My family supported me a lot and my father flew in to stay with me from time to time. We talked and it made things easier. The story continued and 18 years on, here I am,” said Chhetri.
His mother had played for the Nepal national football team and his father was in his battalion team.
“So, getting sports into my system was not difficult. It was natural. I used to play a lot of different sports, now when I look back, I understand that it really helped with my hand-eye coordination,” said the striker.
