Chhetri says he cried under pressure while playing in Kolkata in early days, contemplated quitting

One of India's greatest footballers, Sunil Chhetri reveals he was under so much pressure while playing in Kolkata early in his career that he cried many times and even contemplated quitting the sport.

He had to call in his Armyman father for support.

Chhetri's first professional contract was with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan at a tender age of 17. It was a big challenge to overcome for a teenager and he buckled under pressure at times.

"The first year was good. I used to get 20 minutes or 30 minutes game time in matches and people used to tag me next Bhaichung Bhutia and what not. But football in Kolkata teaches you very quickly," Chhetri was quoted as saying by indiansuperleague.com.

"The crowd turns hostile when you start losing and there were times I used to cry. Losing is not an option in Kolkata. It's not easy, a lot of players even quit. There were instances which shook me and I even called my father back home once and said that I don't think I should do this."