"You are not good enough for first team, get lost to B team," was what talismanic India football captain Sunil Chhetri had to listen to from Sporting Lisbon head coach when he joined them in 2012.
Chhetri, then a 26-year-old, was signed by the top Portuguese side on a three-year contract but he returned home after completing nine months.
"After one week, I was told by the head coach 'you are not good enough, get lost to B team'. He was right. The pace in Sporting Lisbon A team was too fast for me (compared to) when I was playing in Indian leagues," Chhetri was quoted as saying by the indiansuperleague.com.
"I gave a shot for nine months, played five games, scoring zero goal. There was a 4 or 5 million release clause. I was to be there for three years but I told coach I want to go back to India and nobody is going to pay this amount, just release me. They were really nice," said Chhetri, now 35.
Chhetri's first foreign stint was, however, with Kansas City Wizards of United States in ...
