'From Sukhi sir, I learned a lot as to what not to do on pitch': Sunil Chhetri

Sunil Chhetri did not need anyone to tutor him on what he had to do on a football pitch but the same cant be said of the talismanic Indian striker when it came to things he was not supposed to do as a player in his early daysThats where the role of Sukhwinder Singh the former India player and Chhetris first coach in international football assumed significanceOn the eve of his 150th match for India the veteran recalled the contributions made by the affable Sukhwinder who turned the little boy in me into a manI think when I played under him that was the right time to do so for me Again with the benefit of hindsight I think I did the right thing I learned a lot as to what not to do as a player on the pitch and Sukhi Sir has had a massive role in teaching me things He allowed me to do the things that came naturally to me Chhetri told theaiffcomAlso Read Still great at 38 Sunil Chhetri wont stop so soonChhetri might be an icecool presence on the field now but Sukhwinder played a big role in instilling that calmness in himI wasnt exactly the thing that a lot of people associate with me today They call me Captain Cool but I wasnt always so cool and calm I was quite mischievous I was quite haywire I tried a lot of things on and off the pitch He helped me understand what serious football is and with the help of others who came later as well he had a massive role in turning that little boy in me into a manIn the two decades since making his international debut against Pakistan in Quetta Chhetri has gone on to become one of Indias alltime greatest footballers though he is not the fearless player he once wasAt 39 he is understandably a different footballer but the hunger for goals remainsThere are a lot of differences but that probably comes because of my age and the number of games Ive played Im more experienced now I know what works for me and what does not Also many of my mistakes on the pitch have made me wiser In hindsight I think I was more fearless back then The onus was not on me Everything is different now probably because Ive played so many gamesChhetri first donned the senior national team jersey on June 12 2005 in a friendly match against Pakistan in Quetta He also scored in the 11 drawSince then he has made 149 appearances for the national team netting a record 93 goalsChhetri holds the unique record of scoring at least one goal in his first 25th 50th 75th 100th and 125th match for the Blue TigersI wasnt aware of this stat If you ask any player they will not be thinking about such stats Even if they know some stats the moment the kickoff whistle goes they will forget about itHe is also the thirdhighest active goalscorer in international football behind Cristiano Ronaldo 128 goals and Lionel Messi 106 goalsSpeaking about his journey so far Chhetri said When I started it never occurred to me that I could play for the country one dayIn fact even a few days back I was not aware that I was on the verge of such a record When you pause and think about it its an unbelievable feat Im very fortunate extremely thankful and highly privileged to be in this stateChhetri hoped his achievement will inspire younger players to aim high and give their bestI hope that I can inspire young players to give their best and keep going Its probably evident that if you keep working hard and try to do the right things you can achieve a lotIm not very special in a holistic manner A lot of boys are very talented here so if you keep working hard you can have a long careerThe All India Football Federation AIFF has decided to felicitate Chhetri for reaching an extraordinary milestoneThe star striker said things have improved a lot for aspiring footballers from the days he started outWhen I was playing the Subroto Cup in Delhi I didnt even think or dream that I would play for the country The professional setup of playing for a club was too far There wasnt any bridge that directly connected your actions to your destinationWith agency inputs