Baichung & Team India look forward to Bayern Munich match

Baichung Bhutia will don the India jersey and lead his team onto the pitch for one last time on January 10, 2012 in the Audi Football Summit against FC Bayern Munich at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.

Speaking about his career Baichung said, "My career has been a great learning for me, a wonderful experience. My 16 year international football career has made me richer in experience and I have grown as a person. Playing my final India match against Bayern Munich is a great honour, but also a tough finale for me. Bayern are one of the best teams in the world and I rate them currently as better than Germany."

"Indian football is moving in a positive direction with the Indian team qualifying for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup after a gap of 27 years. In addition to this, the junior and developmental teams are making good progress on the Asian front. I believe that it will not be long before we see Indian players plying their trade on the international club circuit," added Baichung.

Also for India coach Savio Medeira it is a big match after the SAFF Cup triumph earlier this month. Savio said, "It's not every day that you get a chance to play against the best in the world. It would be a learning experience for us."

Sunil Chhetri, the SAFF Cup's Player of the Tournament and AIFF Players of the Year, is set to miss the match due to an injury. But talking about the match Chhetri said, "With the phase which Indian football is going through, the more we play stronger opponents, the better for us. You get to play Bayern Munich possibly once in a lifetime. We ought to make the most of it."

Striker Jeje Lalpekhlua is India's brightest young talent and he will get a chance to play alongside the legendary Baichung Bhutia for the first-time in the national team. Jeje said about the upcoming match, "The opportunity to play with one of the top clubs would be an experience indeed. It gives us the opportunity to improve ourselves."

India's dependable defender Gouramangi Singh said, "It will be a great opportunity to be playing on the same field that too against such star players. It's also an honour to be a part of Baichung Bhutia's farewell match. I'm looking forward to it."

For young midfielder Jewel Raja Sheikh it is an opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the world's greatest midfielders as he said, "The match gives us an opportunity to learn from international stars. You don't let go of such an opportunity for sure."

Playing FC Bayern Munich will be a tough assignment for Team India, but it is also about giving Baichung Bhutia a fitting farewell after 16 years of service for the Indian national football team. And it isn't only about the players, but also the fans who hopefully will make it a fitting farewell in New Delhi on January 10.


More information about the match and where to buy tickets online are available at www.audifootballsummit.in

The official Twitter account of the Audi Football Summit can be found under www.twitter.com/AudiFS2012 .