Sunil Chhetri News / Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri announced his retirement

Sunil Chhetri News: India's football icon Sunil Chhetri has announced his decision to retire from international football. Sunil Chhetri will play his last international match against Kuwait on 6 June. Sunil Chhetri has given this information to his fans through a video posted on his social media account. In the video, he talked about his journey and said that now is the time to give a chance to new people. 39 year old Sunil Chhetri has made many big records in his name while playing for India.

Sunil Chhetri announced his retirement

Sunil Chhetri is an important part of Indian football. He scored 94 goals in 150 matches for the country. He is currently fourth in the list of international goalscorers. Announcing his retirement, Chhetri recalled his journey and said that I still remember when I played my first match. My first match, my first goal, this was the most memorable moment of my journey. I never thought that I would be able to play so many matches for the country. He further said that when he decided to take retirement, he first told his parents and wife about it.

The first match was played against Pakistan

Sunil Chhetri made his international debut on 12 June 2005. He played his first match against Pakistan. He also scored his first international goal in this match itself. Chhetri won the AIFF Player of the Year Award on six occasions in his illustrious career. Apart from this, he was awarded Arjuna Award in 2011 and Padma Shri in 2019.

I'd like to say something... pic.twitter.com/xwXbDi95WV

— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) May 16, 2024

Indian team has to play two important matches

Team India was recently announced for the second phase matches of preliminary joint qualification for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 against Kuwait and Qatar. The Indian team will face Qatar in Doha on June 11 after playing its last two matches of Group A against Kuwait in Kolkata on June 6. India are second in the group table with four points from four matches. The top two teams in the group will qualify for the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and book their place at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.