Sunil Chhetri marks 15 years of international debut, fans react to Bengaluru FC's tribute

Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri is regarded as one of the greatest footballers the country has ever seen, a fact that has been well acknowledged by other national sporting greats. The 35-year-old has enjoyed great success with the Indian national team individually, while also receiving recognition when he joined Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon back in 2012. Today, June 12, marks 15 years since the Bengaluru FC striker made his international debut, which was put into perspective by the Indian Super League (ISL) side's Twitter handle. 

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Bengaluru FC send out an epic tribute to Sunil Chhetri

The Bengaluru FC Twitter handle curated a special GIF to mark the completion of 15 years of Sunil Chhetri's career in his exceptional stint in international football. The GIF attempts to capture the various looks donned by the Indian skipper right from the time he made his international debut in 2005, to today when he is still wreaking havoc on the field. The tweet is accompanied by a caption that sheds light on the Indian superstar's international numbers, all of which see him take his place in the pantheon of Indian football's greats.

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Fans react to Sunil Chhetri tribute

Sunil Chhetri goals: Skipper is second-highest active international goalscorer

Sunil Chhetri has set a benchmark at the international level donning the blue of the Indian football team. Chhetri has scored the second-highest number of international goals among active players. The striker has scored 72 international goals in 115 appearances, with only Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo scoring more than the Indian skipper, standing tall at 99 goals. Chhetri has also netted 140 goals in 260 league games.

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Sunil Chhetri goals: Bengaluru FC star signed for Sporting Lisbon in 2012

Sunil Chhetri was signed by Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon in 2012, which was a major achievement for an Indian footballer. Chhetri opened up on an unknown aspect of his famous move to Portugal. The striker recently claimed that he trained a week with the first-team of the Portuguese side after which the club boss asked him to join the B team, deeming him not good for the first team. He, however, acceded that the manager was right to shift him to the Sporting Lisbon B team.

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