11 January,2012 08:01 AM IST | | Special Features
All eyes were set on India's ace footballer Baichung Bhutia in his last face-off against Bayern Munich yesterday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. Here's some trivia about this Indian striker who took the game to new heights:
>>u00a0Bhaiuchung was born in Tinkitam village, Namchi in Sikkim. He also represented his school
at badminton, basketball and athletics.
>>u00a0In 1993, at the age of 16, he left school to join the professional East Bengal Club in Calcutta.
>>u00a0He was the top scorer of the first-ever National Football League (now re-christened as I-League) in 1996. He scored 14 goals for JCT Mills team and was also selected as the Best Player of that Tournament.
>>u00a0Furthermore he became the 19th footballer to receive the Arjuna Award in 1999.
>>u00a0It was the same year when Bhaichung became the first Indian to play professional football in England.
>>u00a0On April 15, 2000, he scored his first goal in the English league in the game against Chesterfield.
>>u00a0He returned to India in 2002 and scored 12 goals as East Bengal won the league by four points from second-placed Dempo in the 2003-2004 season.
>>u00a0And in October 2010, he founded Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools in Delhi.
>>u00a0Shortly after the Asian Cup in 2011, Bhaichung announced his retirement for India with a record of 43 goals in 107 appearances.
>>u00a0The Sikkim Government honoured him by naming the stadium in Namchi as Baichung Bhutia stadium.
