Star stuck in Kansas City
Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri has his day in the sun against the Manchester United stars but now wants release from his club
Dubai: For Sunil Chhetri, the win against Manchester United wasn't exactly a dream come true.
You'd have thought otherwise given the standard of Indian football. Fact is Chhetri never in his wildest dreams imagined playing against the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nani and Dimitar Berbatov, far less winning against them.
Speaking exclusively to XPRESS from Kansas City, where he plies his club football these days with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Kansas City Wizards, the India striker said: "It was an amazing experience and frankly it hasn't sunk in yet. How many teams can claim to have beaten Manchester United?
Different league
"It's really not comparable to anything I have done in India. It's a whole new ball game. Imagine rubbing shoulders with such great names. I never thought I'd be playing against them one day," he said, the amazement evident in his voice.
MLS' Indian connection came on in the 69th minute and kept the Red Devils' defenders busy as the Wizards strived to protect their 2-1 lead with 10 men. "I was supposed to play an entire half, but the red card changed everything. The coach, however, was pleased with my performance," he said.
This was just the second first team outing for Chhetri and while he is still motivated enough to press on for a starting place, his mind has been wandering of late.
"My national team has been calling me for training since June and I intend to talk to the Kansas City Wizards management about this again. I had asked for permission to join the Indian team in Portugal in June and was refused. My contract with Kansas City is for four years and with the Asian Cup coming up in 2011, I'll ask them to release me for the rest of this season," he said.
"Initially I was very keen to play in the US, but with national duty calling I am having second thoughts. As it is, I am mostly on the bench and struggling to make the 18, although I am making progress. My fellow players in the Indian team have given up playing for their clubs to train and I should also do the same," he added.
Incidentally, Chhetri and his Indian teammates have been camping in Dubai for the past couple of winters and are expected in November this year as well. For now though, the pint-sized striker can afford to savour his rare moment of international glory.
