Football: Sunil Chhetri retires – ‘Always wanted to bring value and not be carried by the team’

Sunil Chhetri is quite reticent about basking in the spotlight. The all-time top goalscorer for the Indian senior men’s football team and one of its longest serving captains, the 39-year-old forward has never been one to welcome individual praise, always making compliments about his performance as a team effort instead.

Chhetri’s humility was on display on Friday during an online press conference as he was open and frank in answering questions about his 19-year career donning the India blue. This trait has always been an aspect of Chhetri’s character from the time he took the field on his India debut back in 2005 as a 21-year-old and will continue to remain as part of him when he wears the Indian jersey for the last time on June 6.

The praise that is often heaped on his individual achievements isn’t unwarranted –– Chhetri has represented India 150 times (his last game will be the 151st) and has scored 94 goals, fourth behind Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (128*), Iran’s Ali Daei (108) and Argentina’s Lionel Messi (106*). He has regularly captained the men’s national team since 2011 and is often the first name that people think of when it comes to Indian football.

*Ronaldo and Messi are currently active in...

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