Exclusive: What makes Lallianzuala Chhangte India's 'next best footballer'

Goals, pace, trickery and work rate — it’s a rare combination to have in a footballer. It’s even rare for a footballer in India to have them and do well consistently. The football structure is rough, semi-professional to amateur in many corners, the lack of knowledge is rampant, affordability could be an issue for some footballers and the reasons for motivation are sometimes lacking. To succeed in the brutal environment of Indian football, a single-minded approach is imperative. It’s the same kind of thinking process which has made Sunil Chhetri India’s No.1 footballer. He is talented, but flair and skills are just one part of his footballing repertoire. The driving force of his success is his determination and single-mindedness - they do sound like sporting jargons and cliches, but there has never been a replacement for hard work, determination and single-mindedness. It’s what makes Chhetri sit above the rest.

Those are the same elements which has allowed Mumbai City FC footballer Lallianzuala Chhangte to put himself in the bracket of India’s best footballers. The AIFF Men’s Footballer of the Year for 2022-23, has seen his stocks rise in recent years, both at the club and country level. From being a winger who threatened the opposition at intervals to a player who inspired Mumbai City to a record-breaking ISL League Winners Shield last season with 10 goals and six assists, the 26-year-old from Lunglei in Mizoram has come a long way and is among the No.1 picks both at club and country level.

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His journey began from a nondescript town in one of the extreme corners of India under the guidance of his grandfather, Dochhunga, who wanted Chhangte to become a footballer unlike his schoolteacher father, who like any other parent wanted him to focus on studies. But football became Chhangte’s calling as he moved to an academy in Pune in 2014 at the age of 17 followed by stints at ISL clubs NorthEast United, Delhi Dynamos, Chennaiyin and now Mumbai.

Firstpost caught up with the pacy winger and lethal goalscorer to find out what makes him so consistent, the secret to his fitness, his take on being compared to the great Chhetri and being seen as India’s ’next best footballer'.

Excerpts

Question: Mumbai City FC didn’t have the best of times till the winter break with losses in Champions League but since the Jamshedpur FC defeat in February start, team has been in good form, winning four out of six matches and drawing two. Can you share how the club has managed this turnaround and new coach Petr Kratky’s impact?

Chhangte: A lot has happened at the club lately. There have been quite a few changes, with Des (Buckingham) and some players leaving and new ones joining. However, I believe our new coach, Petr (Kratky), has played a crucial role. He’s brought in a lot of positivity, passion, and a winning mentality. We’ve shown resilience in our recent matches, often coming back from behind to secure victories. We were down against Punjab FC and then came back to win.

Even the new players have gelled in well with the team and the coach wants us to play together. I think we deserve to be where we are and there’s still a long way to go. The best thing at Mumbai right now is the belief that we can comeback from anywhere.

Question: Mumbai are not far from League Winners Shield. Where do you think the team can improve in the business end?

Chhangte: We’re taking each game as it comes, focusing on the present rather than getting ahead of ourselves. However, one area we can work on is maintaining composure, especially when leading a game. Sometimes, we rush decisions, which can be detrimental. Managing the game effectively is crucial, especially in crucial moments.

Question: Personally for you the last few years have been highly successful. We have also seen you being compared to the great Sunil Chhetri. What’s your reaction to it? Where do you think your game is right now and where can it go further form here?

Chhangte: I am going in the right direction. I had some setbacks a few weeks back (at Asian Cup), but for me, the important thing is to continue the progress. Of course, there will be criticism, there will be lots of pressure and there will be lots of expectation. And I knew that. All this is going to come and I can handle them.

For me, the most important thing is to be the best version of myself every single day. I of course have aims and objectives, where I want to go. But I think most importantly, it’s about having a goal, day in and day out. Trying to be a better version of yourself every single day, not just in a match. It’s all about, you know, everyday process. And of course, I’ve seen some news that this guy’s coming up and all this stuff. But for me, It doesn’t matter much. The most important thing for me is to be a better version every single day.

Questions: You didn’t answer about you being compared to Chhetri?

Chhangte: You can’t compare Chhetri bhai to anyone because he is fantastic and a great human being. All the things he has achieved are a blessing from God and of course, it’s his hard work and his dedication. So we are just following in his footsteps. And I hope every Indian player is doing the same. Because if we are doing the same thing that he is doing every day, Indian football will grow higher and higher.

Question: When you meet him, what is the conversation like?

Chhangte: It’s funny because every time I get a chance, I ask him a question like, what’s your diet? What’s your plan? Every single detail. I don’t want to be a copycat, but I want to know what makes him so good.

Question: Coming to the Asian Cup, it wasn’t really how Indian fans expected it to be. The team gave its best but the results were probably not what they wanted. Where do you think things went wrong? How was the experience?

Chhangte: The Asian Cup was a valuable experience for us because we got to play against some of the best countries in Asia. We have not performed as per the fans’ expectations and we take full responsibility for that. We faced challenges including injuries. However, the Asian Cup highlighted areas where we need to improve, both individually and collectively. We need to use this experience to do well in the future.

Question: Talking about your football career. You are known for your work ethics. Can you share the aspects of your process and diet?

Chhangte: It’s setting daily goals and striving to achieve them. It’s how you reach the status of, I don’t know if this is the right word, a champion, right? It’s all about how better you are getting today. What will you achieve today? So it starts from there for me.

You can talk about food, you can talk about sleeping time, waking up time. I have my day planned before I sleep. So that’s what keeps me going and that’s what makes me the player who I am today. Doing my diet strictly. It’s pretty hard sometimes. I don’t say I don’t have any cheat days. I’m a human at the end of the day, but it’s very, very rare.