Sunil Chhetri Returns to India's National Team After Announcing Retirement Last Year
Sunil Chhetri, a legendary striker, will surprise everyone by rejoining the national team, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced Thursday.
Ankush Pandey
Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri announced on Thursday that he has chosen to leave his international retirement in order to assist the national team in the FIFA friendly match that is set for this month, according to the country's top sports body. At the age of 40, Chhetri rejoins the team he led for over a decade.
It's Sunil Chhetri again. On its official 'X' handle, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced that the captain, leader, and legend would be rejoining the Indian national team for the FIFA International Window in March.
Coach Manolo Marquez has selected Chhetri, who made his debut for his country in 2005 and went on to become India's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, as one of his 26 players for the March FIFA international window.
After a stellar career, he announced his retirement less than a year ago, leaving a huge void that has not yet been filled.
With 94 international goals to his name, Chhetri finished his career as one of the game's top scorers after playing at the highest level until he was 39. His departure garnered media attention, with FIFA, the world football governing body, spearheading the outpouring of tributes for the talisman.
FIFA had previously published a documentary about the veteran Indian captain in 2022.
It was called 'Captain Fantastic' and came in three parts: kickoff, mid-game, and extra time.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Ali Daei are the top three goal scorers in men's football, with Chhetri coming in fourth.
Following the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait in Kolkata on June 6 of last year, Chhetri had called it quits.
???????????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????? ????????????????. ????????
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 6, 2025
The captain, leader, legend will return to the Indian national team for the FIFA International Window in March.#IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/vzSQo0Ctez
The Blue Tigers will prepare for their first game against Bangladesh on March 25 in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round by playing a friendly match against the Maldives on March 19.
"Asian Cup qualification is very important to us," Marquez stated. In light of the tournament's significance and the upcoming games, I spoke with Sunil Chhetri about returning to bolster the national team.
He consented, so we added him to the squad. He has been playing in the Indian Super League for Bengaluru FC ever since he retired. He is now the highest-scoring Indian player with 12 goals from 23 games this season.
The Indian senior men's team will play two games this month during the FIFA international window at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong.
India, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangladesh have all been assigned to the same Asian Cup qualifying group. India's run in the previous tournament was disappointing; they lost all of their matches and were unable to advance past the group stage.
The 26-man Indian team for March 2025 Amrinder Singh, Gurmeet Singh, and Vishal Kaith are the goalkeepers for the FIFA International Window.
Asish Rai, Roshan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Hmingthanmawia, Mehtab Singh, Rahul Bheke, Boris Singh Thangjam, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, and Subhasish Bose are the defenders.
Midfielders: Lalengmawia, Liston Colaco, Brandon Fernandes, Brison Fernandes, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Ashique Kuruniyan, and Ayush Dev Chhetri.
Manvir Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Irfan Yadwad, Farukh Choudhary, and Sunil Chhetri are the forwards.
(This story was published from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by Blogyhub staff, with the exception of the headline.)
