Bhaichung Bhutia, The Man Who Was The Face Of Indian Football In The 1990s And 2000s

Sunil Chhetri is right now the man making India proud in football on the international stage. But he picked up the mantle from a certain player called Bhaichung Bhutia. In the mid and late 90s and the first decade of the 2000s, Bhutia was the man who carried Indian football on his shoulders. He has led the side, had a distinguished club career and has certainly etched his name on the history of the beautiful game. Truly a legacy to be proud of.

Hailing from Sikkim, Bhutia was born in a farming family. Both his parents were farmers and initially they were not too keen on his knack for sports. It was not only football, Bhutia also played badminton, basketball and athletics at school level. After the death of his father, his uncle encouraged him to go forward and when he was 9, he won a football scholarship from SAI to attend the Tashi Namgyal Academy in Gangtok. After good performances at school and club level, he first appeared on the radar for his performance in the 1992 Subroto Cup. He was named the best player in the competition and former India goalkeeper Bhaskar Ganguly recognised his potential and helped him move to Kolkata or what was then Calcutta.

In 1993, still short of turning 17, he left school to join East Bengal. In 1995 he moved to JCT Mills and helped them win the India National Football League or what is now known as I-League in 1996-97. He was the top goalscorer in the league. He made his international debut in 1995 and was named 1996 Indian Player of the Year.

But more was to follow. He returned to East Bengal in 1997 and became the first to score a hat-trick in the local derby vs Mohun Bagan. It helped them win 4-1 in the 1997 Federation Cup semi-final. He was skipper in 1998-99 when East Bengal finished 2nd in the League behind Salgaocar. In 1999 he received the Arjuna Award.

In 1999, Bhutia represented Bury in Great Manchester. He became only the second Indian footballer to play professionally in Europe after Mohammed Salim. He signed a 3-year deal he also became the first Indian footballer to sign for a European club. He had unsuccessful trials with Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa. Due to his difficulty in getting a visa, his debut got delayed.

In 2000, Bhutia scored his first goal in the English league vs Chesterfield. His last appearance came in 2001. Injuries limited his number of games. He turned up for Mohun Bagan for a year in 2002. On returning to East Bengal, he helped them win the ASEAN Club Championship with a goal in the final.

In 2002 he was also called as an expert for Ten Sports who were telecasting the FIFA World Cup.

After a stint in Malaysia and short bursts at Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, Bhutia's club career was pretty much over in 2011. His last appearance for India came in a friendly vs Bayern Munich in 2012. The Sikkimese Sniper helped India win the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup and earlier the 2005 SAFF Championship. With 27 goals in 82 games, the stats do not do him justice. His club career saw 100 goals in 226 appearances.

He managed Sikkim in 2012 and is now managing United Sikkim since 2018. He has left his mark for the future generations in Indian football. While he is no more on the pitch, the inspiration he provided to players of future generations just shows how much of an impact he had.