Sunil Chhetri Announces Retirement: Sunil Chhetri, the legendary Indian football player, has announced retirement from international football after an illustrious career. The veteran football player has decided that the forthcoming FIFA World Cup qualification game between India and Kuwait on June 6 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata will mark his final appearance for the Indian national team.
Sunil Chhetri made the announcement in a video he posted on his social media handles. Chhetri uploaded a video talking about his journey and all the emotions he felt playing for India. He captioned the video, 'I'd like to say something...'.
"I recollect in the last 19 years is a very nice combination between duty pressure and immense joy. I never thought individually, these are the many games that I’ve played for the country, this is what I’ve done, good or bad, but now I did it. This last one and a half, two months, I did it and it was very strange. I did it because probably I was going towards the decision that this game, this next game is going to be my last," he says in the emotional video.
Watch Sunil Chhetri's Retirement Announcement Video Here
Sunil Chhetri's Glorious Football Career
The 39-year-old forward marked his international debut against Pakistan on June 12, 2005, netting his maiden goal for India in the same match. Chhetri's iconic career as the highest goal scorer in India's history concludes with an impressive tally of 95 goals scored in 150 matches for the Indian national team. Throughout his illustrious career, Chhetri has also earned numerous accolades, including six AIFF Player of the Year awards. Additionally, he was honored with the Arjuna Award in 2011 and the Padma Shri in 2019.
As Chhetri prepares for his final international appearance next month, India currently sits in second place in Group A of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, tallying four points, with Qatar leading the group. Meanwhile, Kuwait occupies the fourth position with three points.