The Indian captain did it once again as he scored the equaliser for Zidane XI against Benfica All Stars XI in a charity match in Lisbon on Monday for the victims of Haiti earthquake.
‘And the goal scorers are Kaka, Robert Pires and Baichung Bhutia.’ Sounds unreal? Well...it’s not. The Indian captain did it once again as he scored the equaliser for Zidane XI against Benfica All Stars XI in a charity match in Lisbon on Monday for the victims of Haiti earthquake.
“It really sounds great to see your name in the goal scorers’ list alongside such big names,” said Bhutia after returning from Lisbon, where he helped his team earn a 3-3 draw by scoring the leveller six minutes from time.
This is not the first time that Baichung has played with such big names. In 2008, he featured in the Goal4Africa match in Munich, where the marksman scored a brace. “Scoring in these matches is like the icing on cake for me. Though these are friendlies meant for charity, scoring in front of my heroes will always remain special,” said Bhutia.
It was a dream come true for the Indian captain to share the dressing room with those he regards as heroes. Bhutia admitted: “More than scoring the goal, I cherished every moment I spent with Zidane and Thierry Henry on and off the field.”
Bhutia is also proud of the fact that in both these all-star games, he has been able to represent the nation. “There is lot of curiosity about Indian football. During both the matches others asked me about the football structure in India and they wanted to know more about it. But I am happy that when the proceeds of this match will go to the needy, I will know that even India was part of it,” he added.
Finally, Baichung said that out of the three goals he scored in the two matches, the goal in Lisbon was the best. He had come on as a second-half substitute and six minutes before the end, he was played in by Christophe Dugarry and produced a controlled finish from a tight angle to make it 3-3.
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