Cheat days, chats with young strikers and the urge to keep going – The “privilege to be Sunil Chhetri”

“Let’s stop this, please.”

Sunil Chhetri, 39 this August, has been answering questions regarding his retirement for quite some time now. He usually answers with trademark straightforwardness: like when he told the press a week or so ago that he’d be gone when he’s no longer matching up to the “barometers” he measures himself against (like sprinting with Udanta Singh or flying into aerial challenges with Sandesh Jhingan). Or like this Sunday, where while addressing a virtual press conference, he straight batted it again: “I do not have a date in mind, but I can tell you this… I have very high standards for myself as far as desire hunger and giving my best is concerned. The day I’m not adding anything to this team, I’m gone. As simple as that.”

But one particular question brought out a curious mixture of anger and exasperation that we rarely see in media appearances from the captain of India’s men’s national football team: ‘…do you think the team’s performance may fade away after your retirement?’

A long pause. A sigh. And then, “You shouldn’t have asked me this. You’ve watched the games… I feel a little bit sad and offended when people ask me this. You’ve seen the team, you know the players, you’ve seen how well they are doing. Now just imagine if an Anirudh Thapa or a Sahal [Abdul Samad] listens to this question?”

“When I wasn’t there, the team was there. When I’m not there, the team will be there. Don’t worry. It’s not about Sunil Chhetri. Just because I’ve played 20 years and I have got all these numbers… it’s not about me, it was never about me. I’m not even trying to be modest; I’m trying to tell you the truth. There are many boys who are doing well. Maybe you will not have a standout performer for some time, that can happen, but you will get a team. You will get a team where everyone wants to work hard.”

“When Bhaichung [Bhutia] bhai and IM Vijayan were playing, if I told you there’ll come a kid who will score 400+ goals in his career and 92 for the country… you wouldn’t have believed it.”

“Please keep hope. When I’m gone this game will be great. Because where we want to reach… it’s not about me. We’ll have much better players but when you do throw this question [around] it gets circulated and it’s not nice for [anyone else in the team] to hear it. Let’s stop this, please. The team will be fine. I’ll be here till the time I can, not because the team needs me, but because I want to be here. I want to be part of this team.”

Now, there’s a reason the question was asked. Chhetri has scored 92 goals for India in 142 appearances. He’s third only to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo among active men’s internationals. And he continues to be India’s goalscorer-in-chief — he scored five of the eight goals India scored in the SAFF Championships. But the exasperation in his answer stems from the positivity around Indian football these days. They are playing entertaining, winning, football; a far cry from just half-a-decade ago and it’s something Chhetri is revelling in. The focus, he feels, should be on that and the long-term goals he feels India are on the path of achieving. Even if the joy is tempered with a healthy pinch of realism – “This is just a very, very small start. We are taking baby steps.”

Besides, talk of any retirement for him feels premature.

Speaking ahead of the SAFF Championship semifinal, Chhetri had told the press that he’d been second only to Mahesh Singh Naorem [in running parameters] in the opener and equal with Mahesh and Lallianzuala Chhangte in the second. Competing with, and bettering his much younger teammates is something he takes great pride in. A simple eye test of watching him in action for India will back that up.

And it’s all built on a supreme level of fitness. He says the secret — apart from his sheer desire to play every minute of every game — is simple: his discipline. “Get up at 6. Cold shower. Read some book. Do some stretching. 7.30 have some coffee, go to training. Come back 11. Do an ice bath. Followed by foam rolling. Have lunch at 12.30-1. Take a nap. Get up at 3.30. Go to the gym or double-time training. Come back, have some snacks. Have dinner before 7.30. 10-10.30 go to sleep. That’s what I do every day. I don’t eat what I want, only what I need. I take care of my body. That’s the reason why I don’t feel tired, that’s the reason probably why I’m running so much.”

This self-care mantra has now permeated across the whole national camp, he says. “We have created a culture where everyone can express and be happy but as far as food and sleep is concerned, we don’t negotiate. So, if you are seeing a small change, it’s because we have understood that for a top-tier footballer in our country to eat right, sleep well. That’s the least we can do.”

“I’ve always tried to be a good example in that context,” he says. “I will still have bad days, I will still miss silly goals, but physically I don’t want to struggle because that doesn’t require brains or anything extra. It just requires discipline.”

The two odd months the team had been together helped drive this home, he feels. Everyone stuck together, curbed their dietary desires, and simply put their heads down.

Which is why he picks the sight of his teammates gorging themselves on the hotel buffet post the SAFF final as the one moment from these past two months that gave him the most joy. “The sight of the boys digging into the unhealthy food was such a satisfaction because for two months everyone was so disciplined…”

While this feeling of positivity surrounds the national team, the question that so irked Chhetri in its phrasing still remains a valid one in its essence, and that’s something he acknowledges. After all, he identified “conversion of chances” as the single most important aspect the team has to develop (on a relative scale, mind you. He says they have to improve everywhere).