{"id":167643,"date":"2024-09-18T12:42:35","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T07:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/?p=167643"},"modified":"2024-09-18T12:42:36","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T07:12:36","slug":"sunil-chhetri-announces-retirement-from-international-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/sunil-chhetri-announces-retirement-from-international-football\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunil Chhetri Announces Retirement from International Football"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sunil Chhetri<\/strong>, India\u2019s most decorated footballer<\/strong>, has announced his retirement from international football<\/strong>. The FIFA World Cup Qualifier<\/strong> game against Kuwait<\/strong> in Kolkata<\/strong> on June 6<\/strong> will be his last appearance for the national team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chhetri\u2019s Illustrious Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chhetri\u2019s remarkable journey began in 2002 with Mohun Bagan<\/strong>. His talent soon propelled him abroad, with stints at the USA\u2019s Kansas City Wizards (2010)<\/strong> and Portugal\u2019s Sporting CP reserves (2012)<\/strong>. Back in India, he donned the jerseys of prestigious clubs like East Bengal<\/strong>, Dempo<\/strong>, Mumbai City FC<\/strong>, and currently, Bengaluru FC<\/strong>. It\u2019s with Bengaluru that Chhetri truly flourished, lifting trophies like the I-League (2014, 2016)<\/strong>, ISL (2019)<\/strong>, and Super Cup (2018)<\/strong>. He even led them to the AFC Cup final<\/strong> in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Goal-Scoring Machine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While club success is impressive, Sunil Chhetri\u2019s true magic lies in his international exploits<\/strong>. He has been instrumental in India\u2019s victories in the Nehru Cup (2007, 2009, 2012)<\/strong> and the SAFF Championship (2011, 2015, 2021)<\/strong>. Most significantly, his contribution to India\u2019s 2008 AFC Challenge Cup win<\/strong> secured their first AFC Asian Cup<\/strong> appearance in 27 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s his goalscoring prowess<\/strong> that sets Chhetri apart. Since his debut goal in 2002, he has amassed a staggering tally. With 94 goals<\/strong> in 150 international appearances<\/strong>, he sits comfortably as the third-highest active international goal-scorer<\/strong>, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo<\/strong> of Portugal and Lionel Messi<\/strong> of Argentina. This achievement places him fourth on the all-time list<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milestones and Records<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chhetri\u2019s international debut came in 2005, followed by his first goal against Pakistan. A defining moment arrived in the 2011 SAFF Championship<\/strong>, where he surpassed Indian legend I.M. Vijayan\u2019s record<\/strong> of six goals in a single edition by scoring a phenomenal seven, propelling India to victory and becoming the national team\u2019s highest scorer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across club and country, Chhetri\u2019s goal tally stands at a remarkable 252 in 515 appearances<\/strong>, averaging almost a goal every two games. This consistency and talent haven\u2019t gone unnoticed. In 2022, FIFA<\/strong> honoured him with a documentary titled \u201cCaptain Fantastic<\/strong>,\u201d celebrating his journey and achievements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaving a Lasting Legacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As Sunil Chhetri prepares to bid farewell to international football, his legacy as one of India\u2019s greatest ever players<\/strong> is firmly cemented. His dedication, leadership, and scoring prowess have inspired a generation of aspiring footballers and propelled Indian football to new heights on the global stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sunil Chhetri, India\u2019s most decorated footballer, has announced his retirement from international football. The FIFA World Cup Qualifier game against Kuwait in Kolkata on June 6 will be his last appearance for the national team. Chhetri\u2019s Illustrious Journey Chhetri\u2019s remarkable journey began in 2002 with Mohun Bagan. His talent soon propelled him abroad, with stints at the USA\u2019s Kansas City Wizards (2010) and Portugal\u2019s Sporting CP reserves (2012). Back […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":167656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5237],"tags":[59],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-167643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs-may-2024","tag-sports-current-affairs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/419"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167643"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":167657,"href":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167643\/revisions\/167657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167643"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gkseries.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/offerexpiration?post=167643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}