In his prime, Chhetri set another record – becoming the first Indian to play in multiple continents, first with Kansas City Wizards (North America) and then with Sporting CP reserves (Europe).
He became a trailblazer for the next generations, which saw Gurpreet Singh Sandhu move to Croatia and Bijay Chhetri sign for a Brazilian side last year.
In 2008, Chhetri – then playing for East Bengal– reportedly attracted interest from English, Portuguese and American clubs.
Premier League side Leeds United was the biggest name on the list, followed by Championship team Coventry City while Estoril Praia – a Portuguese second-division sid – and Major League Soccer (MLS) sides, D. C. United and Los Angeles Galaxy, were some of the names that cropped up within a year.
Ultimately, he landed a trial at Coventry, which eventually did not lead to his signing.
“A lot was made of him coming over and I think he is going to go around a few clubs. He has had a few days with us but that is it,” Coventry manager Chris Coleman was quoted telling Itv.com.
“I understand he has a big reputation in India and he is a very nice young man but we won’t be following up our initial interest.”
A few months later, he came close to joining another club in England – Queens Park Rangers, who reportedly signed him but could not secure his services as he was denied a work permit because of India’s poor FIFA rankings.
