Sunil Chhetri, the captain of the Indian football team, declared on Wednesday that he will step down from the game following Kuwait’s June 6 FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match.
Legendary Indian football player Sunil Chhetri revealed on Thursday that he will be retiring from international football following the June 6 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kolkata against Kuwait, capping off an incredible two-decade career. The veteran captain of the national team made his announcement in a video that he shared on social media. India is currently trailing leaders Qatar by four points in Group A.
Announcing his decision to retire, 39-year-old Chhetri stated, “The feel that I recollect in the last 19 years is a very nice combination of duty, pressure, and immense joy.”
“I never considered that these were the games I had played for my nation, and these were my excellent and awful performances. However, throughout the past two and a half months, I have done so. It was really weird,” he remarked. “I did it because I was going towards the decision that the next game was going to be my last.”
“I just want to enjoy every training session I have with the national team. We must win the match against Kuwait in order to advance to the next round, so pressure is on us. It’s quite significant to us,” the skipper remarked.
“But in a strange way, I don’t feel the pressure because these 15-20 days with the national team and the match against Kuwait is the last,” he stated.
In March, Chhetri made his 150th appearance for India, scoring in a game against Afghanistan at Guwahati. However, India lost that match 1-2.
Since making his debut in 2005, Chhetri has netted 94 goals for his nation. As the all-time leading scorer and most-capped player in Indian history, he will depart the game. In terms of goals scored by active players, he is ranked third, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
