The King of Second Chances: Mizo-flash Chhangte’s purple patch leads Mumbai City FC to the ISL final

Mumbai City FC, since its acquisition by the City Football Group in 2019, has seen foreign goalscorers dominate the scoring charts, from Adam Le Fondre and Igor Angulo to Jorge Pereyra Diaz last season.

This season, it has followed a new script – an Indian rose atop the list of goalscorers, the highest in the country.

Lallianzuala Chhangte, the nimble-footed forward with 10 goals and six assists this season, has earned the right to become a favourite of the Islanders – an embodiment of clutch, pace and clinical strikes whenever they needed them the most.

The 26-year-old, after scoring in his fifth consecutive game, became the first player to score 10 or more goals in back-to-back seasons as Mumbai City stormed into the final of the Indian Super League at the Mumbai Football Arena on April 29.

With 16 goal contributions in 23 matches, he has been the biggest contributor to breakthroughs for the Islanders, creating a menacing chemistry with Vikram Partap Singh and Jorge Pereyra Diaz in the attacking third, with the three scoring 17 of Mumbai’s 47 goals.

According to  Transfermarkt, Chhangte is the most expensive Indian international, at two crores 80 lakhs.

Mumbai City, for a change, is riding on the Chhangte wave. But there was a time when he had second thoughts about pursuing football as a career.

Lunglei to Liverpool

Chhangte hails from Lunglei, a Mizo town with a population less than that in a packed Wembley Stadium. Studying in class 10, the lanky young forward decided to become a professional footballer.

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“I told my Mom about my dreams. I was desperate. Had the situation demanded, I would not have thought twice before moving out of Mizoram. But I could figure out that she was not at all happy,” Chhangte had said in an earlier interview.

“It is very hard to be a professional footballer from a village like ours. The biggest achievement has always been to play for the village team. My parents always wanted me to focus on my studies. I had already represented my school but wanted more.”

Though he had to wait for a few years, Chhangte took the first opportunity to fly once his family gave in. He rushed to Aizawl 235 kilometres away and got selected for the DSK International Academy trials in 2014.

Within two years, he was training at the Liverpool Youth Academy in England, training alongside Philippe Coutinho and James Milner under a special training program for young prodigies. 

Chhangte’s flight had taken off.

 “It was an amazing experience even though it was a short period,” Chhangte recalled in an ISL interview.

“We got to witness the professionalism of a club at the highest level — the work they put in both on and off the field was massive. They were extremely physical, they had no problem with the left or right foot, and the training was incredibly intense — perhaps the most vital thing I learned was the importance of anticipating what to do next, or where to pass, before even getting the ball.”

International debut

Though Chhangte failed to impress with the National Under-19 side in the AFC Championship, where India lost all three games without scoring a goal, he got a second chance to prove his worth. Stephen Constantine, the then-senior team coach, was looking for younger legs.

And Chhangte was ready.

In his second match as a senior international, the 18-year-old came off the bench and scored twice in India’s 4-1 victory against Nepal, with the first one being a screamer.

He sprinted along the right flank, side-stepped a defender and whipped in a left-footed curler through two opponents as the goalkeeper watched the ball kiss the net to his far post.

With the strike, he became the then-third-youngest goalscorer for India at 18 years 140 days, behind Bhaichung Bhutia (18 years 90 days) and Jerry Zirsanga (16 years 311). 

“I can’t forget the moment. My first international goal against Nepal introduced me to Indian football,” Chhangte said. “Everything around me changed so quickly. I was still in the DSK Academy and was worried about a professional contract. But my life changed. People started noticing me.”

The Indian Super League (ISL), then started as a franchise league, came knocking. Chhangte, playing for DSK Shivajians in the I-League, was first loaned in by NorthEast United and then signed by Delhi Dynamos in 2017.

Flattening of the curve

Chhangte’s chance to develop overseas arrived soon as Norwegian side Vikings FC offered him a trial – one that, unfortunately, could not materialise. And his performance started to wane.

In two-and-half seasons with Chennaiyin (from 2019), he had seven goals in his first Indian Super League (ISL) season – the same number of goal contributions in the remaining span (five goals, two assists). 

The Marina Machans eventually offloaded the forward, loaning him to Mumbai City FC in 2022.

Though Chhangte struggled to get going in the first six months, he became a formidable forward in the next half, scoring 18 goals and assisting nine more in all competitions for the Islanders.

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At the international level, he scored when it mattered the most, in the finals of the Intercontinental Cup – he assisted and scored once in India’s 2-0 win – and the SAFF Championship, where his equaliser forced the match into extra-time and penalties, which India won.

By August 2023, he had a Shield (with Mumbai City FC), three trophies (Intercontinental Cup, SAFF Championship and the Tri-Nations Tournament) and the All India Football Federation Men’s Player of the Year Award – all in a year.

At Mumbai City this season, he has taken his form up by a few notches, stepping up responsibly after his side lost Iker Guarrotxena for the season to injury. He has created the most chances for his side (38) and has the most shots on target (22).

It was his clinical presence of hoodwinking the opposition defence that saw FC Goa’s two-goal cushion vanish in thin air in the first leg of the semifinal. In the return leg, he scored again to finish the job in style.

In the Shield-deciding clash, Chhangte looked to have started a comeback, but it proved to be too little too late against Mohun Bagan Super Giant. This time, like every chapter in his life, he has got another chance – against the same opponent and in the same venue.

And Chhangte, like old times, is ready to make the best of it.