Bhaichung Bhutia Net Worth: Income, Endorsements, Cars, Wages, Property, Affairs, Family

Bhaichung Bhutia is a former Indian footballer who played as a striker for the Blue Tigers. I.M. Vijayan coined Bhutia as “God’s Gift” to Indian Football. Bhutia has a nickname called the “Sikkimese Sniper”. He earned this due to his outstanding shooting skills in football.

Bhutia is the first Indian sportsman to not take part in the Olympic Torch Relay because he was voicing his opinions over the independence moment for Tibet. For his brilliant contributions to Indian Football Bhutia has a stadium named in his honour. Bhutia is a Padma Shri and an Arjuna award recipient.

In 2023 Bhutia threw his hat in the ring for the post of All India Football Federation (AIFF) post. But he suffered a 33-1 crushing defeat to Kalyan Chaubey. Bhutia also had a stint as President of the Sikkim Football Association. On 10 January 2012, Bhutia played his farewell game against Bayern Munich in which India suffered a 4-0 loss.

The 47-year-old is also a winner of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa the reality show. Bhutia became richer by 4 million for winning the competition. The former Indian player served in politics for some time when he was a member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Bhutia contested in the 2014 Indian General Elections but he did not fare well.

Bhaichung Bhutia Net Worth

As per some recent reports Bhaichung Bhutia net worth is INR 17 crores. This figure was declared by the footballer in 2016. The report states that his net worth includes jewelry, investments and his cash at the bank.

His net worth is also inclusive of land belonging to him in Kolkata and Sikkim which has a valuation of INR 13.47 crore. All these elements form Bhutia’s overall net worth.

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Bhaichung Bhutia Salary

Baichung Bhutia now earns his primary income from brand endorsements as he is a retired player. The earnings that Bhutia got from football are not disclosed and are unknown. In 2014-15 he declared his income to be  INR 35 lakhs for that year.

Bhaichung Bhutia Brand Endorsements

Bhutia earns a fair share of income from Brand Endorsements. As of 2023, he signed a deal with Boutpower as its brand ambassador according to a recent report. The energy drink is made in his hometown. In 2021 Bhutia joined Tripura ADC as its brand ambassador. On 26 September 2022 Dream Sports Foundation (DSF) joined hands with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and Bhutia came on board DSF in an advisory role.

Car Collection

As per multiple reports, Bhaichung Bhutia owns an Audi Q5 which is worth 60 Lakhs. Barring this no other information is known about his cars. He had declared that the car belonged to him before the election commission in 2016 when he served as a TMC MP.

Charity Work– On October 2023 Bhaichung Bhutia put together a charity game to help the flood victims in Sikkim. The match was conducted at Siliguri along with the Association of Conservation and Tourism (ACT). Many other individuals also contributed generously towards the charity match.

House, Property and Assets

Bhutia’s house is situated in a neighborhood called Pangthang and the property is called Eagles Nest which is spread over three acres. During Covid-19 pandemic his home got converted into a homestay. It has orchids, fruit trees and a private forest area that includes a walkway.

The other assets that he owns include property which is spread in Kolkata and Darjeeling and also jewelry. Among those assets is an Audi Q5 car as well. According to a 2016 report it came to notice that he owns movable assets worth INR 3.88 crore. And the properties were worth INR 13.47 crore.

Bhaichung Bhutia Wife

Bhutia married Madhuri Tipnis in 2004. The couple were together for eleven years and in 2015 they filed for divorce. Bhutia has one son and two daughters. Madhuri was a hotel professional. 

Personal Details

Physical Attributes 

Hobbies and Interests

According to reports, Bhutia’s favourite hobby is dancing. Other than this no further information is given on his hobbies and interests.

Favourites

As per reports, Baichung’s favourite football clubs are Barcelona and Arsenal. His favourite football players are Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi. Thierry Henry is also a very liked player.

Bhaichung Bhutia Football Career

Initial Career

Bhutia was born into a family of agriculturists who did not believe in taking sport as a career. Karma Bhutia, Bhaichung’s uncle chided him to give sport a go and the rest was history. Bhutia studied at St. Xaviers School, Pakyong, East Sikkim. When Bhutia was nine years old he bagged a football scholarship by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to go to the Tashi Namgyal Academy in Gangtok.

Bhutia was playing many matches for clubs across Sikkim. Then the big breakthrough came in the 1992 Subroto Cup where Bhutia was adjudged the Best Player. Bhaskar Ganguly a former footballer was instrumental in getting Bhaichung to play at Kolkata. Bhutia was a multi-sport person and also played basketball, athletics and badminton during his school days.

In 1993, when Bhutia was 16 years old, he got his first taste of professional football at East Bengal FC. Then Bhutia was shifted to JCT Mills. The team were the victors of the Indian National Football League. Bhutia was numero uno in scoring goals and also got a chance to play at the Nehru Cup. Bhutia was named the Player of the Year in 1996.

Club Career

Bhutia played his first club game in 1993 for East Bengal. In nine games he netted four goals for them. Throughout his career, Bhutia has had spells at Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. When Bhutia was in the East Bengal ranks it was raining trophies for the club. 

Some of them included The Federation Cup, the ASEAN Club Championship and the National Football League. In 1999, Bhutia had a 3 season stint at Bury in Europe in 37 games he managed to net only 3 goals. Having had a disappointing stint, Bhutia made his way back to India.

Bhutia then played for two clubs in Malaysia as a player on loan from Mohun Bagan. In total, he would play 13 fixtures for both teams and score 5 goals cumulatively. For East Bengal Bhutia scored 52 goals in 97 matches and for Mohun Bagan, he scored 25 goals in 56 games.

Bhutia hit the 100-goal mark while playing for various clubs and had 226 games to show for it. He has been a legend in Indian football and has made its presence even more stronger. India Football keeps growing and getting better. Stalwarts like Bhutia should be thanked for making wonderful changes to the system.

International Career

Bhutia’s first football match in Indian colours took place against Thailand. The striker became an integral part of the Blue Tigers soon after. In 1999, he was named as the Indian skipper. The Blue Tigers enjoyed their time under him and took part in many memorable wins. India won the South Asian Football Federation Cup in 1997 and 2005.

In 2008, Bhutia conjured a match-winning goal against Myanmar in the final of the AFC Challenge Cup. With this win, India confirmed their berth at the 2011 Asian Cup after a 27-year hiatus. The striker also played for India at the Asian Games in 2022 and at the Asian Cup in 2010. Bhutia had a long stint as an Indian footballer netting 42 goals in 104 games.

Records

Here are some of Bhaichung Bhutia’s records- 

1. Bhutia is the only player from India to make it to the Asia Hall of Fame.
2. He is the first football player from India to have a stadium named after him.
3. Bhutia has the distinction of winning the Golden Boot at the AESAN Club Championship in 2003. He is the only Indian to do so.
4. The 47-year-old was the first Indian football to ink a contract with a European Club.
5. In the famous Kolkata Derby Bhutia wrote his name into the history books when he became the first player to get a hat trick.

Bhaichung Bhutia Controversy

In 2024, Bhutia demanded the ousting of AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey and pointed out that Chaubey should be held accountable for the bad state of India’s Football Administration. Bhutia’s remarks came right after Shaji Prabhakaran was sent away from his position as Secretary General.

Bhaichung Bhutia Social Media

Bhaichung Bhutia has 379  posts with 126k followers on Instagram. The former India player has 270k followers on Facebook. When it comes to X,  (Formerly Twitter), Bhutia has 29.3k Followers with 1686 posts.

Instagram –  Bhaichung Bhutia (@bhaichung15)

X (Twitter) – Bhaichung Bhutia (@bhaichung15) / X

Facebook –  Bhaichung Bhutia

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