Global sports brand Puma on Tuesday announced that Sunil Chhetri, captain of the Indian national football team and Bengaluru FC signed with the brand.
He is the second-highest after Cristiano Ronaldo on the list of active international scorers in world football. Signing a three-year deal with Puma, he now joins the brand’s roster of global players like Antoine Griezmann, Romelu Lukaku, Luis Suárez and Sergio Aguero among others.
One of the greatest footballers India has ever seen, Chhetri plays as a striker for the national team and Bengaluru FC. He is the most-capped player and also the all-time top goal scorer for the Indian team.
Named AIFF Player of the Year six times, he was also conferred with the Arjuna award in 2011 and Padma Shri in 2019 among several other coveted sports honors.
“I am excited to join the Puma family. Over the years, I have closely witnessed and experienced the brand’s football heritage. Now signing with them as a Puma player is a very natural progression for me,” said Chhetri.
“We share a common goal to accelerate the growth of football in the country. I appreciate their commitment to the sporting ecosystem and look forward to creating a new chapter for Indian football,” he added.
Puma has been active in Indian football with its longstanding association with Bengaluru FC since 2014 to individual agreements with players like Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthe, Nishu Kumar and Rahul Bheke.
Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, Puma India said, “Sunil Chhetri is synonymous with football. A living legend and an inspiration for the youth, he has made a huge impact to grow the sport and its following in India. His passion is very much in line with Puma’s vision. Together, we are invested in growing the culture of football, inspiring and achieving new levels in the game.”
Puma has teamed up with the country’s best athletes to support their never-ending effort. Indian cricket captain, Virat Kohli, boxing champion MC Mary Kom to ace sprinter Dutee Chand are some of the prominent names associated with the brand.
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