'Would have been a shame if..': Sunil Chhetri expresses delight in winning Durand Cup

Indian football team's talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri finally completed his trophy cabinet on Sunday by winning his maiden Durand Cup title with Bengaluru FC. His team defeated Mumbai City FC 2-1 in the final to help him add the Durand Cup title to the I-League, Indian Super League and Super Cup titles he has already won during his career. Following the win, Chhetri took to his official social media handles and expressed the delight he had in finally winning the title that had eluded him for two decades.

Chhetri glad to win Durand Cup 2022

Taking to his official Twitter handle after lifting the Durand Cup 2022 trophy, Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri wrote, "Two decades is a bit of a wait, but if it meant doing it in the blue of Bengaluru, then it was worth every season of trying. Durand Cup Champions - would have been a shame if an Army kid playing football professionally never had the chance to say this. Come on, BFC!"

Meanwhile, in his immediate post-match interview, the star Indian captain said, "That was a dream at the start of the tournament. Before the tournament, you can of course not think about the result. But now I can happily say we are victorious. It is amazing for so many reasons! It is a new team, a new coach. We worked really hard, a lot of youngsters coming in. The way we played, me winning the cup for the first time, and BFC winning for the first time just make me immensely happy."

As for Chhetri himself, while he did not find the back of the net in the finals, he has established himself as one of the most important players in Indian football history. The talismanic figure has represented the Blue Tigers in 129 games and has scored a staggering 84 international goals that put him third on the list of top active footballers in the world.

Bengal Governor & Minister jostle with Durand cup-winning players to pose with trophies

Meanwhile, a video of West Bengal Governor La. Ganesan Iyer shoving Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri for a photo went viral on social media, creating controversy around the game. Bengal governor can be seen pushing Chhetri in the video to get himself in the frame during the trophy presentation ceremony. The incident did not go over well, as a number of well-known figures from the sports community criticised Iyer on Twitter for his despicable behaviour towards one of India's greatest footballers.

Another video showed West Bengal's Sports Minister pushing Bengaluru FC striker Sivasakthi aside to make his way for a photo with the trophy. The Twitter user who posted the video has written that the incident happened just minutes before Sunil Chhetri's episode.