Ex-Perak FA Bhaichung Stars Among World Stars

Indian skipper Bhaichung Bhutia starred in the Goal4Africa charity match with two goals though his side ended up losing at the Allianz Arena.

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The Mohun Bagan striker has added another feather on his cap as he brushed shoulders with the likes of Clarence Seedorf, Michael Ballack and Gennaro Gattuso.

Before the match, every Indian would have wished Bhaichung to do well and if possible score a goal. Baichung started the game but took time to settle down.

The first time when Bhaichung came into the picture was when he was challenged by the Italian Gennaro Gattuso. The Sikkimese Sniper set up Seedorf after a brilliant one-two though the former failed to find the back of the net.

Gattuso was it again on Bhaichung and this time 20 yards outside the goal. The Indian star was making his presence felt.

A few minutes later, Bhaichung released Schumacher on the right and on receiving the return pass went for the glory but just wide.

In the 33rd minute came the moment which everyone in the subcontinent had been praying for all night – Bhaichung Bhutia goal. The Indian skipper controlled the ball on his chest and sent in a powerful left foot strike to beat Nelson Dida from close range. In the closing minutes of the first half, Bhaichung had a couple of half chances which weren’t converted.

The second half saw Bhaichung have a brilliant chance inside the first five minutes when Schumacher sent the ball through the centre.

The 31 year old chased the ball under pressure from defender and his resultant shot was inches wide. Bhaichung was also involved in the move for Schumacher’s goal. A little later, Seedorf laid the ball for the Indian star to place it in the net. This was Bhaichung’s second of the night; something the Indian fans wouldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams.

The match ended with Bhaichung’s side (Edu) losing the game by a three goal margin to Cation.

It was a remarkable achievement both for Bhaichung and Indian football which made it’s presence felt in the world stage, though cynics may point that it was only a charity match.

Profile:

Baichung Bhutia (born December 15, 1976 in Tinkitam, Sikkim, India) is an Indian footballIndian team and plays for Mohun Bagan Club. player. He is considered to be the torchbearer of Indian football in the international arena. He is currently the captain of

He started his education is St. Xaviers School, Pakyoung, East Sikkim and eventually won a SAI Scholarship to attend the Tashi Namgyal Academy in Gangtok. He went on to play for several school and local clubs in his home state of Sikkim. A stellar performance at the 1992 Subroto Cup brought him to the notice of the football establishment.

In 1993, at the age of sixteen, he left school to join the professional East Bengal Club in Calcutta. In 1995, he moved to JCT Mills, Phagwara, which went on to win the India National Football League that year. Bhutia was the top scorer in the league, and was chosen to play in the Nehru Cup. He was named "1996 Indian Player of the Year" and has won numerous other awards since then.

In 1997 he returned to East Bengal, and became team captain in the 1998-99 season. Baichung Bhutia has the unique distinction of scoring the only hatrick in the Derby Clashes between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, when he registered the same in East Bengal's 4-1 triumph in 1997 Federation Cup Semi Final. In 1999 he travelled overseas to play for Bury F.C. after unsuccessful trials with both Fulham F.C. and Aston Villa F.C. with the move improving his conditioning and strategy. In 2002 he returned to India and played for the Mohun Bagan AC for a year before returning again to the East Bengal Club, helping them to win the Asean CupPerak, the Malaysian championship club, from August to October 2003 and returning to East Bengal for the regular season. He continued to play for East Bengal till the end of 2005-2006 season. In 2006, he joined Mohun Bagan AC and has remained with them since then. He has recently renewed his contract for a further two years from 2008 to 2010 with the Mohun Bagan. (Association of South East Asian Nations) Club Championship. He signed up to play for

Bhutia comes from a Buddhist Bhutia background, and is by conviction an atheist. He married his longtime girlfriend Madhuri Tipnis on December 27, 2004 in his native village of Tinkitam in South Sikkim.

He signed an endorsement deal with Adidas India Marketing Pvt. Ltd in November 2003. Currently he is endorsing Nike India. He has also appeared in the advertisvement by Nike, Highlighting The Chance to visit the Nou Camp stadium In Barcelona.

The Sikkimese government has built a stadium, the Baichung Stadium in Namchi, the district headquarters, in honor of Baichung. He is one of the most popular figures in the state and is considered as a role model to many Sikkimese as well to people from other states of India.

In 2008, Bhutia was solicited to run with the Olympic torch in India, but he refused to carry the torch to show support for the Tibetan independence movement. "I sympathise with the Tibetan cause. I'm against violence but I thought I should stand by the Tibetan people in their fight," Bhutia said. He was the first sportsman to refuse carrying the Olympic torch. His actions have won him praise from the Tibetan community and its supporters in India

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