Prodigal son returns home: Bengaluru FC retain Sunil Chhetri in a one-year deal

Mumbai: Bengaluru FC has retained Sunil Chhetri on a one-year deal that keeps the club’s top scorer with the I-League football champions till the end of the 2016-17 season, the club announced on Thursday. The India and Bengaluru FC skipper spent two seasons with the I-League champions before signing with ISL team Mumbai City FC and returning to BFC on loan last season and leading the club to a second I-League crown in three seasons. “We are pleased to announce Sunil as a BFC player in what will be his fourth season at the club. I don’t think we need to be vocal about what he brings to the club and the kind of impact he has in the dressing room and outside of it,” said the club’s COO, Mustafa Ghouse. [caption id=“attachment_2486766” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Sunil Chhteri. ISL[/caption] “He’s been a top professional and leads the team by example and we feel he has a lot more history to script with Bengaluru FC,” he added. Chhetri finished top scorer for the club for the third successive season taking his tally across all competitions in a BFC shirt to 35. The diminutive striker’s brace against Kitchee FC in the AFC Cup Round-Of-16 game in Hong Kong last month sparked a comeback from a goal down as Bengaluru carved a bit of history to make it to the two-leg quarter-finals against Tampines Rovers of Singapore be played in September. “I’ve always said BFC is family to me. We’re doing some amazing things at this club and I’m delighted to pen this deal. We’ve had a brilliant season and I’m really looking forward to build on it with the team,” said Chhetri. “The fans, management, staff and dressing room have all made me feel at home from the day I stepped in to Bengaluru and there’s a connect with this city that is special,” he added.