Bhaichung Bhutia, who turns 46 (born 15 December 1976), is an Indian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Bhutia is considered as the torchbearer of Indian football in the international arena. He is often nicknamed the Sikkimese Sniper because of his shooting skills in football.
Here are some of his achievements
Kolkata is the mecca of Indian Football and the rivalry between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan fans during the Kolkata Derby is considered to be the most fearsome. Players dream of scoring during this high-octane clash which used to take place at the Salt Lake Stadium.
In 1997, Bhaichung, during his second stint with East Bengal, scored a hat-trick in his team’s 4-1 victory.
It was the first time a hat-trick was scored at the Kolkata Derby. The match also drew over 1,31,000 supporters to the stadium, and was an Asian record for highest attendance at a sporting event
Bhaichung Bhutia was the first Indian footballer to sign a professional contract with a European club when he signed for English club Bury FC in 1999.
He played in England for three seasons where he appeared in just 37 matches for the club scoring eight times.
He scored his first goal in the English league in the game against Chesterfield on April 15, 2000.
In 2011, while he was still playing, a stadium in Sikkim's Namchi was named after him. As a tribute to the great footballer who hails from Sikkim, the Sikkim Football Association decided to name the new stadium Bhaichung Bhutia Stadium. It was the first time a stadium was named after an active player
Bhaichung Bhutia is the first and only Indian footballer to be inducted into the Asian Football Hall of Fame. In 2014, 10 footballers across Asia were recognised as the inaugural inductees into this list by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Bhaichung Bhutia with Bayern Munich's Philipp Lahm during his farewell match | Photo: Twitter
Bhutia announced his retirement from international football in 2011. A farewell match was held for him in January 2012 against a star-studded Bayern Munich side which included the likes of Thomas Mueller, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Arjen Robben among others. Though India lost the match 4-0, the 35,000 crowd that watched the match at the floodlit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi can surely say they witnessed a spectacle.
