The only Indian inductee in the Asian Football Federation's Hall of Fame, former captain Bhaichung Bhutia dedicated the rare honour to the country's footballers who continue to ‘struggle against all odds to prove themselves every single day’.
Bhutia was felicitated at AFC's Annual Award ceremony in Manila, which incidentally also marked 60 years of the Asian governing body's existence.
"It is an honour to be accepting this award not on my behalf, but for football, for India and for all Indian footballers who have to struggle against all odds to prove themselves every single day," Bhutia said after receiving the award.
He expressed his wish to share the award with the country's past and present players.
The Indian football great looked back at his career and talked about the obstacles he had faced in his initial years to make it big.
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