Sunil Chhetri career and achievements: The 39-year-old is India’s all-time leading goalscorer for the Indian team and has played more matches than anyone in the history of the national team.
Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri has announced his retirement from international football. He said that the World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait on June 6, 2024, will be his last game for the Blue Tigers.
Chhetri made his senior debut for India in June 2005 against Pakistan and scored a goal in that game. He won his first international trophy when India defeated Syria in the final of the 2007 Nehru Cup. He went on to win two more Nehru Cup titles with India in 2009 and 2012.
In 2008, Chhetri scored a hat-trick in the AFC Challenge Cup final, leading India to a 4-1 victory over Tajikistan. He helped India become a dominant force in South Asian football with SAFF Championship title wins in 2011, 2015, 2021, and 2023.
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During his impressive career, former star striker Bhaichung Bhutia passed the leadership to Chhetri, who then led the national team. Chhetri played in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and was first named team captain at the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers.
Chhetri has won the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year award seven times (in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018-19, and 2021-22). He received the Arjuna Award in 2011 and the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021, becoming the first footballer to win the Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honour.
Under his leadership, India entered the top 100 rankings in 2023 for the first time since 2018.
Chhetri played his 150th game for India on March 26, 2024, in a 2-1 loss to Afghanistan in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Before his final match, Chhetri scored 94 goals in 150 international matches for India, making him fourth on the all-time list of goalscorers among FIFA members. Among active players, he is only behind Lionel Messi (106 goals in 180 matches) and Cristiano Ronaldo (128 goals in 205 matches).
Check also:: Sunil Chhetri Announces Retirement: What He Said
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