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Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri announces retirement from sport
He said that the match against Kuwait on June.6 will be his last game in the national colors.
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Sunil Chhetri, the Indian football legend, has announced his retirement from the national team. He stated that the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against Kuwait on June.6 will mark his final appearance in the national colors.
Chhetri shared the news through a video on his social media platforms. The match is scheduled at the Salt Lake Stadium. India is presently second in Group A, trailing behind Qatar, with four points.
“When I did decide that this is going to be my last game, I told my family about it. Dad was normal. He was relieved, happy, everything. It was my wife, strangely. I told her. ‘You always used to bug me that there are too many games, there’s too much of pressure. Now I am telling you that I’m not going to play for my country anymore after this game.’ Even they couldn’t tell me why there were tears. It’s not that I was feeling tired, not that I was feeling this or that. When the instinct came that this should be my last game, I thought about it a lot, eventually I came to this decision,” the Indian footballer said in a video.
I'd like to say something... pic.twitter.com/xwXbDi95WV
— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) May 16, 2024
“Will I be sad after this? Of course! Do I feel sad sometimes everyday because of this? Yes!” Chhetri added in the video. “Do I feel like I’ll miss the train and there’s just 20 days of training? Yes. It took time because the kid inside me never wants to stop given a chance to play for his country.”
“I have practically lived the dream. Nothing comes close to playing for the country. So the kid kept fighting. But the mature inside knew it that this was it. It wasn’t easy,” Chhetri admitted before adding: “Every training that I do with the national team, I’m just going to enjoy it. I don’t feel that pressure. The game demands pressure. Against Kuwait, we need the three points to qualify for the third round. But in a strange way, I don’t feel the pressure.”
“I’ll say something controversial. I don’t think I know any player has received more love, affection and adulation from the fans in our country than me. A lot of times people talk about highest scorer, this or that, but the one thing that I think I’ve really got the best of, and I was really pampered is the love and affection I got. It’s time for our country to see the next Number 9,” Chhetri added.
Chhetri, who made his debut in 2005, has scored 94 goals for the country. He will leave the scene as India's all-time top scorer and most-capped player. He is also third in the list of goal scorers among active players behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
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