Sunil Chhetri extends contract with Bengaluru FC

Exactly two months before celebrating his 39th birthday Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri on Monday signed a new oneyear deal with Bengaluru FC with an option of an additional yearThe worlds third highest goalscorer among active players Chhetri unveiled a banner at the Kanteerava Stadium here after Indias win over Lebanon in the SAFF Championship semifinal on Saturday stating his decision to stay at the club with which he has won seven trophiesI have signed a Bengaluru FC contract a fair few times and what I can tell you is that it always feels special even when it probably should not given it is a formality I am so happy that I will be spending two more years here Chhetri said after putting pen to paperThe fans have been such a vital factor in this decision Over the years there have been some generous offers from some very good clubs but the fact that I couldnt even think of going anywhere made me realize the influence our fans have had on that decisionChhetri who joined as club captain at the time of its inception in 2013 is the Blues longest serving player having been part of 10 seasons with the clubDuring this period he has won the ILeague 2014 2016 the Federation Cup 2015 2017 the Super Cup 2018 Indian Super League 2019 and most recently the Durand Cup 2022This city the club and all the people involved with it were such a solid bond And as a footballer to get that is very rare and special I am fortunate grateful and happy and I hope that everyone associated with this family feels the same way about this extension Chhetri addedChhetri has over 250 appearances for Bengaluru FC across competitions scoring 116 goals in the process The talismanic striker was also the clubs topscorer on seven occasionsAlso Read Sunil Chhetri plays down talks about retirement Never had longterm targetsIt is an absolute honour and privilege for us at Bengaluru FC that Sunil Chhetri has chosen to extend his stay with the club He has been the face of this football club and continues to be its flag bearerIn so many ways Bengaluru FC and Sunil Chhetri are inseparable and were sure he will be at the end of many more memorable and successful moments with a team that hes made his own said club owner Parth JindalThe banner unveiled on Saturday which served as a surprise to the Blues faithful at the Kanteerava read Bengaluru Im going nowhere Sunil Chhetri and was also followed by a video on the clubs social media handlesIts fantastic news that Sunil has signed a new deal at the club Hes the ultimate role model both on and off the pitch and a fine example to all Indian players not just professionally but also at the grassroots levelHis hunger and desire is still as strong as ever and thats been proven over the last few weeks with the national team I cant wait to get back to working with him said Blues coach Simon GraysonChhetri who is in action with India at the SAFF Championship will take on Kuwait in the final on Tuesday and is the current topscorer of the tournament with five goals in four gamesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever