At the recently concluded Hero Indian Super League (ISL) Player Auction, India captain Sunil Chhetri grabbed all the headlines in his high profile move to Mumbai City FC. The talismanic striker, who came in with the highest base price of Rs. 80 lakhs, will now pack his bags and ply his trade for Ranbir Kapoor’s side. Unsurprisingly, Chhetri was bought for the highest fee, an eyebrow-raising Rs. 1.20 crores. It’s a figure that reflects the calibre of the player.In an exclusive interview, Chhetri was visibly pleased to be part of the 10 players that went under the hammer in the first ever ISL Player Auction. “It’s tremendous. It has never happened before, the ISL auction. We’re nine boys here – Robin couldn’t come, but we’re very happy for him. We’ve been here in Mumbai for the last two days and it’s been building up. As far as which team I wanted to go to, there was nothing in my mind, I was just happy to see the bidding and was glad when they [Mumbai City FC] picked me up.”And he’s not the only one that will be beaming with happiness. With the potential attacking partner in the form of the mercurial Nicolas Anelka, who will act as Player-Manager, Mumbai’s fans have a tantalising prospect ahead of them, “Yes, I’m really looking forward to working under him,” Chhetri remarked. “I want to be as fit as possible and be an asset to the team. At the same time, [I] also want to gel with the whole team because in football until all the players don’t work together, we won’t get the goal.”For the first time in his experienced career though, Chhetri will be playing for a Mumbai-based club. When asked about his opinion on the fans, he only had praises to sing, “They are very passionate. We came to play Mumbai FC last season and they were very passionate. The kind of rage we saw on social media, they’re very passionate about the game. Last season they played at the DY Patil Stadium, it was really good. I just hope we get more and more support from the fans so that we can give our best.”With the ISL Grassroots Programme firmly taking shape, Chhetri was asked to comment about the same. “It’s good, the way they are making it mandatory for every ISL team to have the grassroots programme. I just hope that it gets more and more popular. A lot of kids are given opportunity and want to play football, get better; and through ISL I hope everyone gets the opportunity,” he said with plenty of optimism.With 50 goals for his country, Chhetri will go down in the history books as one of India’s best footballers. So there could be no one better to ask about the ISL’s influence on Indian football. “It’s not the ISL’s direct duty to promote Indian football. I have always maintained, it has to be from all directions. As players, we have to train ourselves and be better.” He continued by saying, “At the same time, the corporate houses, the fans, the ISL, the I-League, everyone has to do their bit. Right from the training ground, making a better structure, promoting the games. So until all these things come from all parties, things won’t change in our country.”The diminutive striker was brimming with enthusiasm when quizzed about the upcoming season. “I’m sure it’s going to be great. I can’t wait to play this year. It was great last year and I’m sure it’ll be even better,” he concluded with a warm smile.Sunil Chhetri and Mumbai City FC kick-off their Hero ISL campaign on the road against FC Pune City in the Maharashtra Derby on October 5th.
