Happy Birthday Bhaichung Bhutia: List of amazing facts about 'Sikkimese Sniper'

Former Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia, nicknamed the ‘Sikkimese Sniper’, is credited for taking Indian football to new highs. He can unarguably be called the footballing patriarch of India owing to his quest for goals and zeal for the game. The prolific striker made his professional club debut for Kolkata-based East Bengal in 1993 at the age of just 16. Two years later, on 10 March, he donned the Indian jersey for the first time against Thailand in the Nehru Cup. Apart from Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, Bhutia has represented Malaysian sides - Perak F.A and Selangor MK Land, English club Bury, and his local team United Sikkim during his 18-year-long decorated tenure. FIFA World Cup: Fixtures | Results | Points Table | Squads | Records Today (15 December), Bhaichung Bhutia celebrates his 46th birthday. On this special day, let’s look at some amazing facts about Indian football’s torchbearer: Bhaichung Bhutia became the first player to ever complete a hat-trick in Indian football’s most celebrated encounter, the Kolkata derby. His sole derby hat-trick came in the 1997 Federation Cup semi-final match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, in which East Bengal triumphed 4-1. Bhutia is India’s second-youngest goal scorer in international competition, trailing only Jerry Zirsanga. He achieved the feat against Uzbekistan in the 1995 Nehru Cup at the age of 18 years and 90 days. Bhutia was awarded the Golden Boot award in the 2003 ASEAN club championship where East Bengal lifted the prestigious title. The Indian forward netted nine goals including a crucial one in the summit game against BEC Tero Sasana of Thailand. In the group stage of the tournament, Bhutia also scored five goals in a group-stage game against Philippine Army FC leading East Bengal to clinch a 6-0 victory. Bhutia became only the second Indian after Mohammad Salim to play professional football in Europe when he travelled to Manchester in 1999 to play for Bury. However, he scripted history after the club offered Bhutia a three-year contract, thanks to his impressive skills. Thus, he became the first Indian footballer to sign for a European side. Throughout his spell with them, he managed to score eight goals  despite going through a persistent knee injury. In January 2012, to mark his farewell, a friendly versus Bayern Munich was arranged to pay homage. However, the 46-year-old last appeared on the pitch for United Sikkim in 2015. Bhutia was one of the 10 inaugural inductees in the Asian Football Hall of Fame in 2014. Hence, he also became the first Indian footballer to be bestowed with the honour. Accolades like the Arjuna Award (1988), Padma Shri (2008), and Padma Bhushan (2014) were bestowed in honour of his contributions to Indian football. Read all the  Latest News ****,  Trending News ****,  Cricket News ****,  Bollywood News ****,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ****,  Twitter  and  Instagram ****.