FIFA shoots ‘special series’ with Chhetri

NEW DELHI: India football team captain Sunil Chhetri has gone truly global with FIFA shooting a ‘special series’ on him in appreciation of a stellar career.

Turning out for a country that is yet to play at the World Cup, Chhetri featuring in a series by the world football governing body is unprecedented by any stretch of imagination. “Some of the parts were shot in Bangalore as he is living there while a bit of shooting took place in Delhi, where he grew up and his parents live,” a source told PTI on Friday.

“It (series) is part of FIFA’s regional content initiative which it has launched. So globally when one talks of Indian football, Sunil, without a doubt, is the contact point. You would go to him, right?” an Indian football insider said.

Chhetri also recently received a congratulatory message from top English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur for equalling Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas’s tally of 84 international goals. By scoring India’s second goal in its final AFC Asian Cup qualifying match against Afghanistan on Tuesday, Chhetri drew level with Puskas while becoming the fifth-highest international goal-scorer of all-time.

The 37-year-old Chhetri is the third-highest goal-scorer in international football among active players, a list that is led by Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo (117 goals). When asked about his record after India’s qualification to the 2023 Asian Cup, the India skipper had stated: “I genuinely do not care about records and personal milestones. I just want to enjoy myself as I move on to the last moments – just go out and enjoy on the pitch.”