Sunil Chhetri Breaks Retirement and To Don India Jersey Again

The news of the day is that Indian Football legend Sunil Chhetri has decided to come out of retirement and will join the national team for the qualifiers in Shillong later this month. Did Sunil Chhetri retire from the Indian football team?

This move comes in as a huge boost for Manolo Marquez and the rest of the team who have struggled big time without Chhetri. “The captain, leader, legend will return to the Indian national team for the FIFA International Window in March,” the AIFF announced on X.

Chettri will be a part of India’s squad for the upcoming friendly against Maldives and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh. Both games are scheduled to be played after the conclusion of the Indian Super League group stage fixtures and will be played at Shillong’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Sunil Chhetri’s contribution to the national team

Sunil Chhetri is synonymous with Indian football. He has produced multiple magical moments and has led the Blue Tigers from the front every time he took to the pitch. Chhetri is currently the third-highest active goalscorer in international football behind greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He is India’s record goalscorer with 94 goals and will be a century of goals in his second stint.

The 40-year-old has won multiple team and individual accolades with the Blue Tigers in a career spanning around two decades. He has won four SAFF Championship titles along with two Intercontinental cups and one AFC Challenge Cup and Tri-Nation Series. The skipper was last seen in action during India’s World Qualifier game against Kuwait in June 2024.

Indian Football team’s performance without Chhetri

The Blue Tigers were struggling by all means in the absence of Sunil Chhetri which led to the sacking of former head coach Igor Stimac. India has played five games without the services of their captain and have remained winless in all of those games. While three games ended in a draw, the remaining two games resulted in a defeat for Manolo Marquez’s men.