Sunil Chhetri Retires: Listing 5 major achievements of the Indian football captain
Sunil Chhetri Retires: The Indian football captain announced that he will retire on June 6. Here is listing 5 major achievements of the Indian legend -
Sunil Chhetri retires
On May 16, Sunil Chhetri announced that he will be retiring from the game. India's FIFA World Cup Qualifiers match versus Kuwait, on June 6, will be his last international appearance.
Chhetri said in the video, on X, "The feel that I recollect in the last 19 years is a very nice combination of duty, pressure and immense joy. I never thought individually these are the games I've played for the country, this is what I've done good, I've done bad. But, now I did it, this last one-and-a-half two months. It felt very strange. I did it because I was going towards the decision that the next game was going to be my last.”
"Every training that I do with the national team, I just want to enjoy. The game against Kuwait demands pressure, we need the three points to qualify for the next round. It's hugely important for us. 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," the legendary footballer added.
(Photograph:AFP)
Leading goal-scorer for India
Leading goal-scorer for India
Chhetri is India's leading goal-scorer with 94 goals under his belt. The 39-year-old veteran has been India's go-to-man in crisis situations and often bailed the national side out of trouble with his timely goals in crunch games.
(Photograph:AFP)
Third-highest goal-scorer among active players
Third-highest goal-scorer among active players
Chhetri is the third-highest goal-scorer among active players, only after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (106). In addition, he is the fourth-highest overall after Ronaldo, Ali Daei (108) and Messi.
(Photograph:AFP)
Recipent of big awards
Recipent of big awards
The India captain has also been bestowed with several prestigious awards by the Government of India such as the Arjuna Award in 2011 (in picture) and Padma Shri in 2019. In addition, Chhetri became the recipient of the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, in 2021, which is regarded as India’s highest sporting honour. He became the first footballer to have been conferred with the honour.
(Photograph:AFP)