Chhetri to talk about his future with Sporting
25 May 2013 11:58 PM GMT
His confidence left shaken after getting just five games with the reserves for Sporting Lisbon, Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri has now taken a more pragmatic approach and would hold talks with the Portuguese club about his future before embarking on a second stint.
“I am not used to sitting out. All my life, I have been playing for club and country regularly all 90 minutes. It plays on my mind, even though you are fitter but if you are not playing a match, mentally you are destroyed,” said Chhetri, whose two-year contract with Sporting Lisbon runs up to June 2014.
“After six months, I had just played five games for Lisbon’s B team, which was not good for my confidence.
I was training well in one of the top most academies of the world but not playing matches was haunting me. It was not good for my confidence. I am going back, talk to them and know exactly what is there in store for me. I am 28 not 19 anymore to be sensible in what club I want to choose,” he said.
Chhetri, while admitting football is treated differently in Portugal, said not getting much of a chance to showcase his skills made him frustrated.
“I was in the ‘B’ team and what happened is even if you are almost there to play, there are four guys who are from ‘A’ team fighting their recovery and they start. It became difficult for me.
“That’s the way it works in Europe where there is a ‘B’ team to make sure that ‘A’ team players who are fighting a recovery can come back. Even though you are training at the best facility in the world, not getting a match on Saturday really kills you,” Chhetri said.
“I am not used to sitting out. All my life, I have been playing for club and country regularly all 90 minutes. It plays on my mind, even though you are fitter but if you are not playing a match, mentally you are destroyed,” said Chhetri, whose two-year contract with Sporting Lisbon runs up to June 2014.
“After six months, I had just played five games for Lisbon’s B team, which was not good for my confidence.
I was training well in one of the top most academies of the world but not playing matches was haunting me. It was not good for my confidence. I am going back, talk to them and know exactly what is there in store for me. I am 28 not 19 anymore to be sensible in what club I want to choose,” he said.
Chhetri, while admitting football is treated differently in Portugal, said not getting much of a chance to showcase his skills made him frustrated.
“I was in the ‘B’ team and what happened is even if you are almost there to play, there are four guys who are from ‘A’ team fighting their recovery and they start. It became difficult for me.
“That’s the way it works in Europe where there is a ‘B’ team to make sure that ‘A’ team players who are fighting a recovery can come back. Even though you are training at the best facility in the world, not getting a match on Saturday really kills you,” Chhetri said.
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