Bhaichung Bhutia Age, Height, Wife, Biography, Affairs & More

Bhaichung Bhutia

Bhaichung Bhutia aka Baichung Bhutia was born on 15-12-1976 in Tinkitam, South Sikkim in the state of Sikkim, India. He is a former Indian Football Player & Activist.

His hunger for goals and his passion for the game made him the father figure of Indian football.

Bhaichung has also captained the national side and currently plays the role of manager at the Sikkim state football club.

Background

Bhaichung was not only good at football, but also represented his school in basketball, badminton, and athletics.

His uncle Karma Bhutia managed the Gangtok-based Boys Club where Bhaichung played in his early years.

Bhaichung played for several other local school teams and clubs and brought attention to himself in the 1992 Subroto Cup where he received the ”Best Player” award.

Early Life

Bhutia began his education in St. Xaviers School, Pakyong, East Sikkim and gained an SAI Scholarship ultimately at an awfully young age, and attended the well-known Tashi Namgyal Academy in Gangtok. He went on to play for numerous school and native clubs in Sikkim. Their spectacular performance at the Subroto Cup in 1992 added him to the note of the football institution. Former Indian goalkeeper Bhaskar Ganguly noticed his talent and helped him to make a move to Calcutta Football. In the year 1993, at the age of sixteen, he left college to be a part of the professional East Bengal Club in Calcutta. He was transferred to JCT Mills, Phagwara in 1995 that went on to win the Indian National Football league that year. Bhutia was the highest scorer in the league and was chosen to play in the Nehru Cup. He was honored with the "1996 Indian Player of the Year" & has clinched various alternative awards since then.

His talent was spotted by former Indian goalkeeper Bhaskar Ganguly who helped Bhutia move to West Bengal where he would play most of his career.

Bhutia has represented the following teams - India, East Bengal, JCT Mills, Bury, Mohun Bagan, Perak FA, Selangor MK Land, and United Sikkim.

• Bhutia got the attention of everyone for the very first time at the Subroto Cup 1992 held in Delhi, where he was bestowed the Best Player award.
• Bhutia was the top goal scorer, playing for the JCT FC in the 1996-97 season.
• Bhaichung was bestowed the Indian Player of the Year award in 1996. Further, he came back to East Bengal in 1997 and led his team in the year 1998-99. 
• Bhutia was honored with the Arjuna Award in 1999.
• Bhaichung scored his first hat-trick against Mohun Bagan, playing for East Bengal FC in 1997.
• Bhutia became “Player of the National Football League”, honored by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), playing for East Bengal in the 2005-06 season.
• Bestowed with Padam Shri Award in 2008
• The 2009 Nehru Cup was great for Bhutia, as he earned his 100th cap for India in a 2–1 win against Kyrgyzstan. He became India’s first player to reach this milestone.
• In 2014, Bhutia was awarded by Banga Bhushan Award.

Bhutia has got limited opportunities to play abroad. He traveled abroad to play for Bury in Greater Manchester, England on 30th September 1999, where he became only the second Indian football player to play professionally in Europe after Mohammad Salim. After signing a three-year contract, he became the first Indian footballer to sign for a European club. Bhaichung scored his first goal in a game against Chesterfield in the English League on 15th April 2000. A recurring knee injury limited him to just three games in his final season in Bury, and he was released after keeping the club in administration. His last appearance was a 3–0 loss to Swindon Town on 27 August 2001. After that, he returned to India and played for Mohun Bagan for a year in 2002. However, it was mostly unsuccessful as Bhutia got injured early in the season and failed to play again that season. Later, he returned to the East Bengal club, helping them win the ASEAN Club Championship. Amid the 2004–05 season, he scored nine goals for East Bengal, which concluded third after Champions Dempo and SC Goa. Bhutia continued to play for East Bengal until the end of the 2005–06 Season. In his final season, he was awarded the Player of the National Football League by the All India Football Federation, where he scored 12 goals. Bhutia scored ten goals in 18 matches during the 2007–08 Season and Mohun Bagan finished in fourth place in the league. Bhutia won the Indian player award for the second time in 2008. After winning the award, he became only the second footballer to win it more than once; the other one was I.M. Vijayan.

If we really want to become a good football nation, we need to work at the grass-root level, We need to open more academies with top facilities.

Bhaichung Bhutia Family & Personal Life – 

Father: Dorji Dorma

Mother: Sonam Toptal

Bhutia has two elder brothers, Bom Bom Bhutia and Chewang Bhutia, and also an elder sister Cali. On 30 December 2004, he engaged Madhuri Tipnis. His wife is a hotel professional.

Bhutia has two daughters Samara Dechen Bhutia and Keisha Dolkar Bhutia, and a son Ugen Kalzang Bhutia.

Body Measurements

Rise to Glory

Having made his debut for the national team at just 19 years of age, Bhaichung showed some bright signs of helping Indian football rise. He went on to play some superb football for both club and country and would become one of India’s best-ever players.

Bhutia scored just one goal in his debut tournament and scored his second in the same tournament two years later against Bangladesh in the finals. In the 2002 LG Cup, Bhutia netted a brace against Vietnam, helping India to a 3-2 win.

Bhutia was made captain of the team for the 2005 SAFF Championship. India won the championship again, with Bangladesh again reaching the finals and losing to India 2-0.

Bhutia scored one of the goals and was a part of the two goals he scored in the tournament. In the 2008 edition of the tournament, Bhutia scored just one goal and helped India reach the finals where they lost to Maldives 1-0.

Bhaichung won the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup and was selected as the most valuable player of the tournament with three goals. Bhutia’s 100th cap came in 2009, in the Nehru Cup. He was the first player to reach the milestone. He became the Player of the Tournament in spite of missing out on the final.

Bhaichung Bhutia International career – 

He represent India internationally for 16 years and achieved tremendous accolades before retiring in 2011. Bhutia wore a blue jersey. After completing his 16 years, On 24 August 2011, he announced his retirement from the international footballer. A farewell was arranged for him against Bayern Munich in 2012.

Bhaichung Bhutia NET WORTH, SALARY, INCOME – 

Bhaichung Bhutia Net Worth is $1.7 Million (Rs.17 crore) at present time. Well, Bhutia is definitely one of the most remarkable players of football for India in a long time. He is a striker who performed for the Indian National Football Team. Bhutia is also known as a very lethal and dangerous striker of the ball. He is also the highest active goal player in football history. He is the maximum capped performer for India as well.

Currently, his market value is €1.7.00 million.

Retirement

Bhutia announces his retirement from international football in 2011. A farewell match was held for him in January 2012 against Bayern Munich. Bhutia then played his last club match at United Sikkim in 2015, which marked the end of his glorious career.

He currently is on a managerial venture at Sikkim and has founded the Bhaichung Bhutia Soccer Schools to help nurture young talent.

Shocking / Interesting Facts & Secrets About Bhaichung Bhutia