Bengaluru FC striker Sivasakthi Narayanan has revealed that Sunil Chhetri is his favorite footballer and being around him motivates him to do well. The forward recently scored in the Durand Cup final against Mumbai City FC and helped his team win by 2-1 to clinch their first-ever title of the tournament.

In fact, Chhetri had also lavished praise on the youngster after he had scored the all-important goal in the final for the Blues.

“What a superstar he is!” said Chhetri of the 21-year-old. “When you have players like Sivasakthi in your team, you are always going to win.”

The youngster revealed that senior players like Sunil Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu kept motivating him in the Durand Cup and he was able to grow in confidence.

“I am close to my mother and the team has also supported me. Seniors like Sunil Bhai [Chhetri], Gurpreet Bhai [Singh Sandhu], and many others always keep me motivated. I have learned not to take pressure from them and be focused on my work. These people have taught me how to deal with things off the pitch,” he said while talking to the Bridge.

“Sunil Chhetri is my favorite footballer and being around him motivates me to do well. It was an amazing moment for me and I am very happy that I scored a goal in the final. I have grown as a player. I used to play in mud grounds and now it is very professional. I understand tactics and the gameplay better now. I believe that I have to work harder now since people know me now and keep proving by giving my best,” he added.

The youngster has definitely shown the right skills and he will look to keep improving as he has the opportunity to pick the brains of strikers like Sunil Chhetri and Roy Krishna.

Bengaluru FC will begin their ISL 2022-23 campaign against NorthEast United FC at the Shree Kanteerva Stadium, Bengaluru on the 8th of October.