Newsmakers 2017: Football: Sunil Chhetri

The captain of the Indian football team, Sunil Chhetri has guided the Indian team to great heights, making 2017 a noteworthy year for Indian football.

Under the Indian skipper the national team booked their berth for the 2019 Asian Cup in October with two qualifying matches to spare.

A giant step in the right direction for the sport in the country. India had missed out on the event in 2015. Also it is noteworthy that India, who was ranked as low as 175 in the FIFA rankings, finally broke through to the top 100, rising to no. 96 in July.

Skipper Chhetri has been at the top of his game this year. With five goals to his name, Chhetri leads the goalscoring charts for the country.

Chhetri has also had a good run as the skipper of the Indian Super League side Bengaluru FC. In a fun fact it can be noted that like cricket captain Kohli, Chhetri also tied the knot in December, bringing down the curtain on a memorable year.