The legendary Indian football player Sunil Chhetri declared on Thursday that he would be retiring from the game after the nation’s June 6 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait.
The captain of the national team made his announcement through a video that he shared on social media.
On June 12, 2005, the 39-year-old striker scored his first goal for India and made his debut for his country against Pakistan.
Currently, among the active players, Sunil Chhetri has the third-highest total of goals scored for his country (94 in 150 matches), behind only the legendary Argentine Lionel Messi (106 in 180 matches) and the leader, Cristiano Ronaldo (128 in 205 matches), a Portuguese legend.
He has the most Indian football caps as well.
Throughout his illustrious career, Sunil Chhetri has won six AIFF Player of the Year awards, in addition to the Padma Shri in 2019 and the Arjuna Award in 2011.
Sunil Chhetri has competed for India in international competitions, earning titles with the national squads in the AFC Challenge Cup (2008), SAFF Championship (2011), Nehru Cup (2007), 2009, and 2012, and Intercontinental Cup 2017 and 2018.
India is now second in Group A of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers with four points, behind leaders Qatar, heading into Chhetri’s final international match next month. With three points, Kuwait is ranked fourth.
