IM Vijayan jealous of Bhaichung Bhutia because he got to play with Sunil Chhetri

IM Vijayan, nicknamed Kalo Harin (which translates to Black Buck) is widely regarded as one of the godfathers of Indian football. The Kerala-born forward spent the majority of his career in Kolkata playing for I-League clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. IM Vijayan also represented the likes of FC Kochin and Churchill Brothers over a career that spanned almost 15 years. Playing as a centre-forward, IM Vijayan scored 40 goals in 79 appearances for the Indian football team. He also captained India between 2000 and 2004. In a recent interview with current Indian football skipper Sunil Chhetri, IM Vijayan revealed why he is jealous of his former teammate, Bhaichung Bhutia.

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IM Vijayan jealous of Bhaichung Bhutia because he got to play with Sunil Chhetri

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Appearing on Sunil Chhetri's Eleven On Ten Show on Instagram, IM Vijayan revealed that he envied former teammate Bhaichung Bhutia because the latter had the opportunity to play with Chhetri for the national team. The former Mohun Bagan forward was quoted as saying, "If I had delayed my retirement by at least one or two years, maybe I could have played alongside you. I was unlucky. That's one thing that I'm jealous of Bhaichung is that he got to play with you but I never got to play with you. Imagine what you, me and Bhutia could have done while playing together. It would have been great". IM Vijayan and Bhaichung Bhutia formed a strong attacking partnership while playing for the national side in the early 2000s. IM Vijayan was crowned Indian Player of the Year in 1993, 1997 and 1999 and was also bestowed with the Arjuna Award in 2003.

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