The 33-year-old Spaniard and former Real Madrid B player provided his perspectives on Indian football, skipper Sunil Chhetri, and his Real Madrid Castilla days during a roundtable media conference with select media.
Sunil Chhetri, the captain of India and Bengaluru FC (BFC), was discussed by Javi Hernández, who only had “good words” to say about him. He praised him as the greatest Indian player in the history of the game and emphasised how hungry he was to succeed, even at the age of 38.
Sunil Chhetri and Indian football
Sunil Chhetri is widely regarded as the greatest Indian player in history, and Hernández said in the conference held in Kolkata that he has learned that Chhetri is one of those players who is always looking for more after playing with him last season. Hernández also mentioned how very competitive he is at the gym and how he always wants to triumph.
The former ATK Mohun Bagan player has been competing with Indian players since 2019, and he is convinced that the ISL has helped Indian footballers significantly improve. He anticipates that in the years to come, better players will rise through the ranks.
Hernández continued by saying that, since his arrival in India, Indian players have significantly improved. He is now truly noticing some really talented young people rising through the ranks. He claims that the game of football in India is expanding, and the ISL’s eight-year history makes this claim quite clear. In the years to come, he believed, we would witness better Indian athletes.
Chhetri’s performance so far
In 2002, Sunil Chhetri started his professional career. He had previously played for City FC of New Delhi before being acquired by Mohun Bagan of the National Football League. From 2002 to 2005, he played three seasons of club football for Mohun Bagan.
In recent years, he has served as the centre around which Indian football has made the majority of its decisions.
Over the past twenty years, Sunil Chhetri has broken a lot of records. It includes holding the records for both the most Indian international goals (80), which is second only to Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal on the list of active players, and the most Indian international caps (125).
Sunil Chhetri’s stellar performance at the international level has carried over to his domestic football play in India.
Despite dominating the I-League in his early years and surpassing all other Indian goal scorers in the league in 2017, Chhetri hasn’t lost any of his zeal since switching to the Indian Super League (ISL) in 2015.
The Indian striker has played for Bengaluru FC since 2017, having previously played for Mumbai City FC in 2015 and 2016. In addition to scoring numerous goals, he has also single-handedly guided his team to victory.
Sunil Chettri now holds the record for most goals scored in the ISL among football players from India. Sunil Chettri has scored 56 goals overall in 135 games for the ISL. On the list of the league’s leading goal scorers, his total is just one goal behind Nigeria’s Bartholomew Ogbeche.
Hernández’s experience before ISL
Javi Hernández, Chhetri’s current teammate, played three seasons with the Castilla team between 2008 and 2011 after graduating from the Real Madrid academy. He played in 34 games during that time, scoring three goals. He teamed up with players like Dani Carvajal, Alvaro Morata, Marcos Alonso, and Rodrigo, who are now well-known players in European football.
Many of them made it to the first team, and he expressed his happiness over their accomplishments by saying that. Additionally, he stated that he stays in touch with them.
Hernández claimed that the Real Academy has many facilities and excellent trainers. He continued by saying that everything needed for growth and development in the finest way possible is there.
