New Delhi, July 5:
The club that has given the world players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo will be home to Indian football’s poster boy Sunil Chhetri for the next one year as he has been signed by Sporting Clube de Portugal, popularly known as Sporting Lisbon.
Chhetri, who will be flying to the Iberian country in another two weeks’ time, will be drafted into the club’s B side initially. Based on his performance, the club will take a call on whether he should be fast-tracked into the main squad.
“From 163rd (India’s FIFA ranking) to playing in the 5th ranked nation in the world, it’s one opportunity I will never forget in my life,” Chhetri said after the deal was made official, here today.
Chhetri, naturally, is aware that a tough test awaits him in Europe.
“I will have to do a lot of hard work. I will leave no stone unturned, so that I don’t regret later in my life. When I am 40, I don’t want to feel that I could have done better,” he added.
Though the modalities of the deal are yet to be worked out, Chhetri is certainly going to play this season. (PTI)
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