On Thursday (May 16), Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri dropped a bombshell. The 39-year-old made the big announcement that he will retire from international football after the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier game against Kuwait on June 6. Chhetri, one of India’s finest footballers, shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, to make the big announcement. 

Chhetri said in the video, “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.”

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“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.

A GLITTERING CAREER

Chhetri will sign off as India’s leading goal-scorer in the history of the game. The veteran has found the back of the net on a whopping 94 times at the international stage. He is also the third-highest goal-scorer among active players behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

In addition, Chhetri is the most capped Indian player, having donned the jersey for a staggering 150 times. Bhaichung Bhutia is the second-most capped Indian footballer with 88 internationals.

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