Once hailed as the ‘next Sunil Chhetri’, Jeje Lalpekhlua, whose career was curtailed by persistent knee injuries, on Thursday urged aspiring forwards to never take any injury lightly.
After teaming up with Chhetri in 2011, the mercurial Mizoram forward grew strength to strength and spearheaded Indian attack with Chhetri in a number of matches and won SAFF Championship together in 2011 and 2015 before being sidelined by recurring knee injuries.
“I had tried my best when I was young. I worked extremely hard to emulate his (Chhetri’s) game, but injuries held me back, disappointing Indian football fans who had high expectations from me. I hope the future brings young players who can fill in his boots,” he told PTI from Aizawl.
“Managing injuries is crucial. In 2011, when I first played, the coach liked me, there were some minor injuries but I would never take them seriously,” said the 33-year-old.
“But if you want to play for a longer period, you need to be careful and never take risks. Look at Sunil. To play long-term, you can’t take unnecessary risks. Once something serious happens, it becomes very difficult,” he said in his advice to the youngsters.
Talking about the next No. 9 who can take up Chhetri’s mantle, the footballer-turned-MLA who now runs a football academy “Jeje 12” in Aizawl spoke very highly of Edmund Lalrindika (Inter Kashi), David Lalhlansanga (Mohammedan Sporting) and Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia (Aizawl FC), the trio from I-League who have also caught the attention of national head coach Igor Stimac.
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“The game is vast, and young players like Rahim, Manvir, David will have to work extremely hard. Especially last season, we had Edmund, David and Lalrinzuala who have impressed me the most.” Chhetri’s agility, leadership and finishing prowess complemented Jeje’s strength, positioning and clinical finishing, and they thus made a dynamic attacking pair.
Together, they spearheaded India’s attack in numerous international tournaments, including the AFC Asian Cup, SAFF Championship, and various World Cup qualifiers.
In addition to their on-field successes, Chhetri and Jeje have shared a mentor-mentee relationship, with the former often guiding his younger team-mate.
“Thinking about Indian football without Sunil Chhetri is almost impossible. He has done so much for the sport. To this day, I haven’t imagined our team without him,” said the two-time ISL winner.
“But such is life, and I have immense respect for him.
“His leadership on and off the field has been exceptional. Sunil’s mindset was always about winning, whether it was football, carrom, chess, or table tennis.”
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