PM Modi congratulates Sunil Chhetri following release of series ‘Captain Fantastic’

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated legendary Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri after FIFA announced the release of a series on his life and career, saying that the move will boost the popularity of football in India.

“Well done Sunil Chhetri! This will certainly boost football’s popularity in India. @chetrisunil11,” tweeted PM Modi.

Well done Sunil Chhetri! This will certainly boost football’s popularity in India. @chetrisunil11 ⚽️ ?? https://t.co/Hh9pGtDhmh

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 28, 2022

Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri’s legendary career has got a new level of recognition in form of a series named ‘Captain Fantastic’, which will showcase his story in a span of three episodes.

FIFA, the governing body of the sport, announced on Tuesday that a series about the career and life of Chhetri is available on FIFA+, its streaming platform.

“You know all about Ronaldo and Messi, now get the definitive story of the third highest scoring active men’s international. Sunil Chhetri | Captain Fantastic is available on FIFA+ now,” tweeted FIFA World Cup on Twitter.

You know all about Ronaldo and Messi, now get the definitive story of the third highest scoring active men’s international.

Sunil Chhetri | Captain Fantastic is available on FIFA+ now ??

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 27, 2022

It captures a lot of what is unseen and unheard about this star, be it his pre-teen anguish, his debut for India at age of 20, his romance with his future wife and his early days and peak as a football player with many awards and records under his belt.

He is the third-highest goal-scorer among active players in international football with 84 goals, only behind other legends like Lionel Messi of Argentina (90) and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal (117).

He is India’s most-capped player and also its leading goal-scorer.

Chhetri helped India clinch the 2007, 2009, and 2012 Nehru Cup trophies and 2011, 2015, and 2021 editions of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship.

The star footballer has also been honoured with the AIFF Player of the Year award seven times, a record.

He is also the recipient of the country’s highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna Award. He won it in 2021.