For India’s football standards to improve, it is important to find talented footballers at the age of six or so and get them to train in good academies with adequate facilities. Schools also have to play a role by increasing the number of weekly PE periods, said Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri.

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India’s ranking is at 127 in FIFA standings. Our best ranking as a football team was 94, way back in 1996. The India Super League (ISL) has been in operation for a decade now but we have struggled to remain in the top 100. Is it a real reflection of what’s happening on the ground in Indian football?

Identifying talent at the right age is the most important aspect. We are a huge country with talent across its geography. Children who are talented but based in remote corners have to get identified and brought to centres where there are better facilities. This is the difference. Identify kids as early as six years of age and train them. They may not have the best of grounds to train on but that’s okay. Let them develop with whatever facilities they have.

We do not need world class coaches at the grass roots but those coaches should be able to spot talent quickly and push them into the next level as fast as possible. We lack this.

I strongly believe that we need to become a sporting nation to fast track our growth.

But that’s cultural, isn’t it? Becoming a sporting nation takes some doing. Countries that excel in sport identify talent not only at an early age but also the sporting discipline most suited for the child, be it swimming, sprinting or tennis.

The direction for this has to come from the very top. To become a sports centric country, it is important that our schools are able to support children in a better way. Most of our schools have two physical education (PE) classes in a week, while there could be ten Math lectures during the same time.

Naturally, we are giving more chances for someone to become an engineer compared to a child who wants to excel in sport. The same goes with someone who wants to become a painter or a guitarist. This is the change that I’m talking about.

We are a cricket loving country and many of the cricketers are multi-millionaires. In football, except for a select few playing in the ISL, remuneration in the second and third tiers of football in this country cannot be considered attractive. How big a concern is this?

Let me ask you a question. How many colleges can guarantee placements for their students? Not every engineering student can find a good job in a big company. If someone is playing football thinking about how much he/she will earn in the future, I would say that’s a wrong approach. Clearly, sport is difficult. Only a very few can make it to the top. Same is true for cricketers also. They will get good remuneration as they keep rising but that’s not the mindset they should adopt at a young age.

Please realise that sports build better human beings. It’s the most holistic way to develop one’s personality. So, I would like to urge all the parents to allow their kids to play some sport or the other. You end up being a smarter person.

Let’s talk of sponsorship deals. Very few football players are able to attract deals from corporates. Of course, you are a huge exception.

As far as sponsorship deals are concerned it’s about what the value you are bringing in. It’s about what you can offer on the pitch and outside it. For the corporates, their only aim is to sell their product better through you. For all the footballers who are looking to find sponsorship contracts, let me tell you that there has been a vast positive difference in the last 10 years. It’s about showcasing the value you bring to the table.

What do you think the AIFF can do in the short to medium term to lift the standards? The FIFA-AIFF academy in Bhubaneshwar is a good start but we need that kind of infrastructure all over the country. Also, are our sports science facilities up to the mark in enabling the best physical conditions for players?

The key word here is connectivity. If the AIFF can get all the top leagues in the country working together, trying to find the best talents from tier-II and III towns that’ll be great. Let’s say Kerala Blasters can find a good talented boy from Thiruvananthapuram or North East United can locate a skillful player from that region. End of the day, as I said earlier, it’s all about talent spotting and upliftment of that talent by offering the best of facilities.

With regard to sport sciences facilities, I would like to say that while all the top tier clubs have the best support in terms of physios, nutrition and fitness, at the lower levels a lot of work has to be done.

Can’t really let you go before asking this question. You have scored a record total of more than 260 goals in your career including 94 international goals. What’s it about Sunil Chhetri and goal scoring?

It’s about the hunger. No matter what, you keep trying for it. Sometimes, you may not be at your best in a game but you still got to find a way with the help of your team mates.

It’s also a habit. You know instinctively where to go. It’s muscle memory after a stage. Mentally too, you have to keep yourself sharp and wholesome.