Sunil Chhetri announced his retirement from the Indian football team on Thursday through various social media channels. He said that his match against Kuwait, a part of the FIFA World Cup, will be the last game he will play.
The match is scheduled to be played at the Salt Lake Stadium on June 6th. India is currently behind Qatar, second in Group A.
“When I decided that this was 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 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,” he said.
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 every day because of this? Yes!” Sunil 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 being given a chance to play for his country,” said Chhetri.
“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,” he added.
Sunil Chhetri’s legacy
Sunil Chhetri scored 94 goals for the country, which makes him India’s all-time top scorer. Chhetri is also third in the list of goal scorers among active players (behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi). Sunil Chhetri is currently fourth on the all-time list of international goal-scorers. Sunil Chhetri is also the most-capped player for the Indian football team, having made his 150th national appearance in March.
Sunil Chhetri’s debut was against India’s match against Pakistan in 2005 when he was just 19 years old. Recalling this memory Chhetri said, “I took my jersey, I sprayed some perfume on it, I have no idea why. So that day, everything that happened, once he told me, from breakfast to lunch and to the game and to my first goal in my debut, to conceding late in the 80th minute, that day is probably one that I will never forget and is one of the best days of my national team journey.”
Sunil Chhetri was among the few Indian footballers who had an opportunity to play in foreign leagues. In 2010, He signed for Kansas City Wizards in the USA’s major league soccer. With this he became the third Indian footballer after Mohammad Saleem and Bhaichung Bhutia to play for a foreign league. He also played for Sporting Clube de Portugal in 2012. He is also a regular feature of Bengaluru FC.
‘Happy Retirement Legend’
Following the announcement of Chhetri’s retirement, social media had an outpour of emotions. Fans flooded platforms with gratitude, thanking him for his contributions. “#HappyRetirementLegend” captures the collective sentiment of a country proud of its football legend.
As Sunil Chhetri steps away, his goals and leadership shine bright every day. Third in goals, a legend’s story told, in football’s heart, his legacy forever bold. 🌟⚽ #SunilChhetri #HappyRetirementLegend#LegendsRetire pic.twitter.com/ZkeC65orfF
— MSDIAN💛🦁 (@223Chetry17096) May 16, 2024
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