Sunil Chhetri "The Pride of Indian Football" announced his retirement
He will grace the game for one last time in a match against Kuwait on 6 June.
The Legend of Indian Football or as they say the “GOAT”, Sunil Chhetri announced his retirement on Thursday through a video posted on his social media handles. He will grace the game for one last time in a match against Kuwait on 6 June. Chhetri, the captain of the Indian Football Team recalled all his memories since his debut in the retirement video which was captioned as “I’d like to say something…”.
The 39-year-old Chhetri is the number one goal scorer for India and holds the record for most caps. Chhetri has scored a total of 252 goals for club and country which is the most by any Indian player. Sunil Chhetri (94) is the Third-highest active international goal scorer with number one and number two being Cristiano Ronaldo (128) and Lionel Messi (108) respectively.
In a 9-minute long video, Chhetri talked to his fans about his love for the game and his excitement every time he put on that blue jersey. “The feel that I recollect in the last 19 years is a very nice combination of duty, pressure and immense joy,” said the Indian skipper.
The Indian captain satirically said, “It’s time India needs a new striker” as he hung up his boots. He also mentioned how he loves it when the fans cheer for him, he called himself “the most loved footballer in a holistic way in the country”. The fans are devastated by this news as they can’t see their Legend leave the field.
Chhetri has helped his team win multiple trophies over the years, He has won the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008, the SAFF Championship in 2011 and 2015, the Nehru Cup in 2007, 2009 and 2012, as well as the Intercontinental Cup in 2017 & 2018.
Chhetri’s individual trophy cabinet is packed with Arjuna Award (2011), Padma Shri (2019) and a total of six AIFF Player of the Year awards.
The announcement left everyone heartbroken, and his fans flooded up his comments wishing him a “Happy Retirement”.
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