Hyderabad: Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri on Thursday announced his decision to retire from international football after the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait in Kolkata on June 6, bringing the curtains down on a glorious two-decade career.
The long-serving national team captain announced his decision via a video he posted on his social media accounts. India are currently second in Group A with four points, behind leaders Qatar.
Chhetri's Announcement Message
"The match Against Kuwait is the Last," the 39-year-old Chhetri said while announcing his decision to retire.
"The feel that I recollect in the last 19 years is a very nice combination of duty, pressure and immense joy. When I did decide that this is going to be my last game, I told my family about it. Dad was normal. He was relieved, happy, everything. It was my wife, strangely. I told her, ‘You always used to bug me that there are too many games, there’s too much of pressure. Now I am telling you that I’m not going to play for my country anymore after this game.’
Even they couldn’t tell me why there were tears. It’s not that I was feeling tired, not that I was feeling this or that. When the instinct came that this should be my last game, I thought about it a lot, eventually I came to this decision," Chhetri said.
Chhetri's Initial Days
"There is one day that I never forget and remember it quite often is the first time I played for my country man, it was unbelievable. But the day before, morning of the day, Sukhi sir, my first national team coach, in the morning he came to me and he’s like, you’re going to start? I can’t tell you how I was feeling man. I took my jersey, I sprayed some perfume on it, I have no idea why. So that day, everything that happened, once he told me, from breakfast to lunch and to the game and to my first goal in my debut, to conceding late 80th minute, that day is probably that I will never forget and is one of the best days of my national team journey," Chhetri described his feeling while playing first time for the country.
Chhetri's Emotional Note
“Will I be sad after this? Of course! Do I feel sad sometimes everyday because of this? Yes! Do I feel like I’ll miss the train and there’s just 20 days of training? Yes. It took time because the kid inside me never wants to stop given a chance to play for his country," the Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri added in his video.
“I have practically lived the dream. Nothing comes close to playing for the country. So the kid kept fighting. But the mature inside knew it that this was it. It wasn’t easy. Every training that I do with the national team, I’m just going to enjoy it. I don’t feel that pressure. The game demands pressure. Against Kuwait, we need the three points to qualify for the third round. But in a strange way, I don’t feel the pressure.”
Chhetri's Tall Career
Chhetri stands tall with third most international goals (94 in 150 matches) among the currently active players, behind Argentine legend Lionel Messi (106 in 180 matches) at number two and the leader Cristiano Ronaldo (128 in 205 matches), the legend from Portugal.
Chhetri had made his 150th appearance for India in March and scored on the occasion against Afghanistan in Guwahati. India, though, lost that game 1-2. Chhetri, who made his debut in 2005, has scored 94 goals for the country. He will leave the scene as India's all-time top scorer and most-capped player.
Thank You Note By Chhetri
"All of them, the entire team, the players that I’ve played with, the teams that I’ve played against, the coaches that I’ve learned from, right from my first coach Sukhi sir, Bob Hougton, Armando sir, Wim Koevermans, Savio sir, Stephen Constantine, Igor stimac, to the doctors, to the physios, everyone. And I’m just taking all your names so that you know, without you, these 19 years would not have been possible."
"Personally, I’ve spoken to you and I’ve told you this. Right from when I was 20 to now when I’m 39, I’ve been so much loved and encouraged and people have gone so wild with happiness when I do well. I think it’s a great fortune of mine."
"So thank you, thank you to the co-group who has helped me to be the kind of player that I became and for the 19 years, to the fans, to the ones who are thinking that I should retire, I hope it makes you happy. To the ones who think that I shouldn’t have and I did well, thank you because of your love and affection I’ve reached 19 years. Make sure you understand that you are a part of it. Yeah, one last game against Kuwait. For all our sakes, let’s do a good game, let’s win the game and we can depart happily. And it’s a wrap!"
