Sunil Chhetri would rather be seen as a dedicated football player who did his very best for his nation. A day after declaring he will be retiring from international football following the second round encounter (of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers) against Kuwait, the owner of a record 150 caps for India had this to say. On June 6, the game will take place at Salt Lake Stadium.
“People ought to remember me as someone who puts forth a lot of effort. It allowed me to play 150 matches. A player needs a lot of qualities to succeed, but this is one that I want to put behind me, Chhetri stated on May 17 at a media conference.
Sunil Chhetri would rather be seen as a dedicated football player who did his very best for his nation. A day after declaring he will be retiring from international football following the second round encounter (of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers) against Kuwait, the owner of a record 150 caps for India had this to say. On June 6, the game will take place at Salt Lake Stadium.
“People ought to remember me as someone who puts forth a lot of effort. It allowed me to play 150 matches. A player needs a lot of qualities to succeed, but this is one that I want to put behind me, Chhetri stated on May 17 at a media conference.
The career and accomplishments of Sunil Chhetri for the Indian national team | In images
He laughed as he said, “And of course I want to be remembered as the most good-looking player too,” when asked what legacy he hoped to leave behind.
The captain of India stated that he was content with his 19 years of service to the national team and that he never sought for records.
“I am really grateful and don’t feel empty inside since I never imagined that I would be scoring this many goals when I first joined the Indian squad. I never considered getting a perfect score because it was never something I had planned or imagined. “I consider myself extremely fortunate to have participated in 150 games and scored 94 goals for my nation,” he remarked.
It may occasionally happen that the team carries me, which is something I never want. “There are so many talented players waiting to take my place that I felt it was only right to leave the national team,” he stated.
Chhetri stated that winning a lot of games for Bengaluru FC in the next ISL season is his next priority.
