Bengaluru FC have confirmed that team captain Sunil Chhetri has officially signed an extension to his contract with the club till 2021. The club released a statement on its official website as well as Twitter to endorse the news.
BOOM! He's not waiting to let it run out, and skipper @chetrisunil11 has signed an extension to his current contract, keeping him in Bengaluru blue for three more seasons! #Chhetri2021 pic.twitter.com/Aw1MbzJlyo
— Bengaluru FC (@bengalurufc) July 24, 2018
Chhetri, who is currently the longest serving player in the club’s history said, “I have always said that this club and these fans have been the most fantastic experience of my life and signing a new deal here is only a way of giving back to a club that has given so much to me. I’ve made some fantastic memories here and I believe there are many more to make.”
The 33-year-old Chhetri is currently in his second contract with Bengaluru FC, having first signed with the club before its move to the Indian Super League (ISL).
“It’s special to have Sunil Chhetri play for us. He is, by far, the fittest player around and he has proven so many times that age is just a number. We are excited to have Sunil the player, more excited to have Sunil the leader and most excited to have Sunil the enigma. His hunger, desire and passion are immense and he is the torchbearer of Indian football. For us, the club was built around Sunil and continues to do so. We hope he stays for as long as possible at BFC in the capacity of a player and beyond,” said Parth Jindal, CEO of Bengaluru FC.
The players are currently taking part in pre-season training at Bellary and will follow it up with another camp in Spain. The team’s first competitive match of the season will be on August 22 against Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr FK in a two-legged Inter-Zone semi-final of the AFC Cup. The second leg will be held on the 29th of the same month.