Sunil Chhetri, Indian football legend and captain, to retire on June 6

Long-serving Indian football captain and legend Sunil Chhetri on Thursday announced his retirement after the World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait on June 6.

India is currently 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.

Read More: Virat Kohli Congratulates Sunil Chhetri


Among active players, presently, Chhetri has the third-highest total of goals scored for his country with 94 goals, behind only the legendary Argentine Lionel Messi in second place and the Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo in first.

Chhetri made his announcement through a video that he shared on social media. "The match Against Kuwait is the Last," he said while announcing his decision to retire.


"There is one day that I never forget and remember quite often is the first time I played for my country, man it was unbelievable. But the day before, the morning of the day, Sukhi sir, my first national team coach, in the morning he came to me and he's like, you're going to start? I can't tell you how I was feeling man. I took my jersey, I sprayed some perfume on it, I have no idea why. So that day, everything that happened, once he told me, from breakfast to lunch and the game and to my first goal in my debut, to conceding late 80th minute, that day is probably one that I will never forget and is one of the best days of my national team journey," Chhetri said.

"I told my mom, my dad and my wife, my family first, my dad, he was normal, he was relieved, happy, everything, but my mom and my wife started crying and I told them, you always used to bug me that there are too many games, there is too much of pressure when you watch me and now that I'm telling you that, you know, I'm not going to play for my country anymore after this game. And even they couldn't, they couldn't express to me as to why they, they burst into tears. It's not that I was feeling tired, it's not that I was feeling this or that when the instinct came that this should be my last game, then I thought about it a lot," he concluded.

On June 12, 2005, he scored his maiden goal for India and made his debut for his country against Pakistan. He has featured in 150 matches for the national team.

In addition to the 2011, 2015, 2021, and 2023 SAFF Championship, Chhetri assisted India in winning the 2007, 2009, and 2012 Nehru Cups. Along with helping India qualify for its first AFC Asian Cup in 27 years, he also led the country to victory in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup.

Throughout his illustrious and two-decade long career, the 39-year-old striker has won six AIFF Player of the Year awards in addition to the Padma Shri in 2019 and the Arjuna Award in 2011.

He was also the first football player to win India's greatest sporting accolade, the Khel Ratna Award, in 2021.