Sunil Chhetri vs Baichung Bhutia: Comparing the Torchbearers of Indian Football

Deepak
Sunil Chhetri is currently the joint-second highest goalscorer amongst active players
Sunil Chhetri is currently the joint-second highest goalscorer amongst active players

#3 Style of Play

Sunil Chhetri can play anywhere across the front line
Sunil Chhetri can play anywhere across the front line

While Chhetri could play as a striker or a winger depending on what the team wanted, Baichung played his career predominantly as a striker. Another footballing great I. M. Vijayan described Bhutia as "God's gift to Indian football" and he truly is a Gods gift.

His shooting prowess in front of the post earned him the nickname ' Sikkimese Sniper "while his humble down to earth nature earned him respect from even his rivals.

Though Bhutia did not have a great association with Mohun Bagan towards the end of his career, the fans of Bagan still respect him as much as the East Bengal fans do. A rare feat to achieve considering the rivalry of the two clubs.

Sunil Chhetri is ultimately a team man and has done wonders for both his clubs and the country. His association with Bengaluru FC has been a long one with more than a 100 appearances.

One can say that Sunil Chhetri has been one of the reasons why Bengaluru FC has emerged as one of the top clubs in Indian football. His story is right in front of us and the "Captain Fantastic" has the unique record of having scored the joint 2nd most goals in international football matches among active players with Lionel Messi after Cristiano Ronaldo.

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