Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri on Thursday announced his decision to retire from the international game after the country’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Kuwait on June 6.
The head of the national team announced his decision through a video he posted on his social media account. A 39-year-old person made his first world record against Pakistan on January 12, 2005, and scored his first goal for the Indian team.
“I am not tired, and I do not feel this or that,” Chheti said in the video “When the instinct came to me that this should be my last game, I thought about it a lot (and) I finally made this decision.”
Currently, Sunil Chhetri has the third most international goals (94 in 150 games) among active players, behind the Argentine legend Lionel Messi (106 in 180 games) and the second in leader Cristiano Ronaldo (128 in 205 games). Portugal legend.
Chhetri’s impressive career has seen him win the AIFF Player of the Year award six times. Apart from receiving the Arjuna Award in 2011 and the Padma Shri in 2019.
Looking back on his 19-year career, Chhetri said, “You know, the feeling I remember in the last 19 years was a very nice mix of work, stress and great joy. I never thought about it individually. It was a lot of games that I played for the country, it was something that I did, good or bad, but now, I’m done.
He is also the most prolific Indian footballer.
“It took a month or two and a half, I did it and it was a surprise. I did it because I could decide that this game, the next game will be my last. The first time I told myself that yes, this is the game that will be my last. Then I started to remember everything. “It’s strange, I started thinking about this game, this game, this coach, this coach, this team, this team, this team, and, this game is going away, and this game is good, and this bad game, and all my shows, everything happened, everything happened. So when I decided that this was going to be my last game.
Internationally, Chhetri was part of the Indian team that won the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008, the SAFF Championship in 2011 and 2015, the Nehru Cup in 2007, 2009 and 2012, and the Intercontinental Cup in 2017 and 2018. Ahead of Chhetri’s departure from the World Cup next month. India are currently second in the FIFA World Cup standings with four points, behind leaders Qatar. Kuwait is fourth with three points. He also shared his family’s emotions when he told them of his decision.
“I told my mother, my father, and my wife. My father felt relieved, happy, and normal, but my mother and my wife started to cry and couldn’t explain to me why they burst into tears.
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