Sunil Chhetri, the great Indian footballer, announces his retirement.
Sunil has been the icon of football in India and the captain of the Indian football team.
Today, May 16th, he announced his retirement and will play his last international match against Kuwait.
India will play against Kuwait on June 6th, which is also the qualifying match for the World Cup.
Early Life
He was born on August 3, 1984, in Secunderabad, Hyderabad.
Sunil was fond of football from an early age, as his mother and two sisters also played football for the Nepal women’s team.
He started his professional career with Mohun Bagan in 2002.
Later, he was signed for Major League Soccer in 2010, making him the third player from the subcontinent to move abroad.
His debut match was in 2005, where he scored his first goal and kick-started his career.
Professional Life
After starting his professional career in 2005, he never looked back.
Since then, he led the Indian team to several victories and made India a name across the globe.
He played a main role for India in winning the 2007, 2009, and 2012 Nehru Cups.
Apart from the Nehru Cup, he also helped India win the 2011 SAFF Championship.
With his outstanding performance and after winning the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup.
India qualified for the AFC Asian Cup after 27 years.
Career Highlights
Sunil is the first Indian player to score 50 international goals.
He also holds the third position in terms of scoring the most goals in international matches among active players.
The first and second positions belong to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
He is both the most-capped player and the country’s top international association football goalscorer.
Awards
He has won several football awards in his two-decade career.
He was named the ‘Asian Icon’ by the AFC on his 34th birthday.
Apart from that, he got the Arjuna Award, which is the country’s second-highest sporting award.
And Padma Shri, which is the fourth-highest civilian award.
The FIFA World Cup official handle paid tribute to him, stating, “Retiring as a Legend.”.
I’d like to say something… pic.twitter.com/xwXbDi95WV
— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) May 16, 2024