India’s search for the next Sunil Chhetri seems far from reaching its conclusion. The dearth of goalscorers in the Indian national football ...
India’s search for the next Sunil Chhetri seems far from reaching its conclusion. The dearth of goalscorers in the Indian national football team has never been more alarmingly evident, and the shrinking Indian goal tally in the Indian Super League only adds to the growing concern.
Will the next generation of Indian football be devoid of a real superstar it so desperately needs? It is a difficult question to answer. It’s natural for fans to find a hero in an attacking player, but the best of players are always spread across the field.
Indian football may have to embrace this change of perspective if it has to find the next Chhetri. Not necessarily in terms of the prolific striker that he is, but in terms of the outstanding role model, leader and hero.
The next Indian football superstar may not be a striker. Not so much because we can no longer produce those kinds of talents, but because it’s much harder for a forward player to make it big in India in the current circumstances.
In the ISL, foreign players take up most of the attacking positions on the pitch, leaving Indian to occupy the remaining defensive and midfield positions.
In the 2019-20 season, there’s no Indian forward in the top...
