Sunil Chettri, the Indian national football team captain, on Thursday, announced that his 19-year journey with the Indian football team will come to an end after the FIFA World Cup qualifier match against Kuwait on June 6.
He has been one of the longest-serving players of the Indian national team, made his debut in June 2005 against Pakistan, and also scored his first goal on his debut. Since then, he has played a total of 150 games for the Indian team and made an illustrious career having scored the most number of goals (94) for India.
He announced his decision with a video message posted on his social media accounts. He signed off his emotional journey by quoting “So yeah one last game against Kuwait, for all of our sakes, let’s do good in the game. Let’s win the game. and then depart happily.”
“So yeah one 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 against Kuwait, for all of our sakes, let’s do 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝. Let’s win the 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞. And we can depart. 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒚 .”
And with that Sunil Chhetri announces retirement. 💔⚽#Indianfootball #SunilChhetri
pic.twitter.com/wTVEdHSErP
— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) May 16, 2024
Sunil had played a significant role in the team’s success over the past years and scored a lot of historic goals. He led the team from the front in the tough times and always guided the young and upcoming players under his leadership.
Sunil recollected all of his memories from his wonderful journey throughout the campaign “The one day which I will never forget is when I played my first ever international match for my country. My first match, my first goal all of them have a special place in my journey. The feeling which I recollect from these 19 years is a combination of duty, pressure, and immense joy.”
He obliged the craze and support from the fans and fellow supporting staff members and thanked them.
“It might be controversial but I don’t think I have ever seen a player getting so much affection and love which I holistically got from the fans. I also remembered all my coaches whom I play, all the doctors and physios, I am recalling these names so that I can express the support I got throughout my career”, Sunil said.