Sunil Chhetri says his India career is definitely over and may also retire from professional football if Bengaluru FC don’t qualify for continental tournaments.
Sunil Chhetri has said his India career is over after making a surprising return earlier this year for the final round matches of the AFC Asian Cup 2027. Chhetri, widely recognised as one of India’s finest footballers, retired from international football in June last year before being persuaded by former head coach Manolo Marquez to make a U-turn.
With India unable to qualify for the continental event, Chhetri has decided this is the end of the road for him as far as international football is concerned. Additionally, it’s likely that the 42-year-old veteran may end up quitting professional football altogether, depending on how Bengaluru FC fare in the upcoming season of the Indian Super League (ISL).
“If we win the ISL, it will give me a chance to wear national (winning) club colours and play in international competitions again. At 42, it’s not easy. I want to score 15 goals this season and retire,” Chhetri told The Times of India.
Marquez was replaced by Khalid Jamil as the head coach of the Indian men’s football team in August this year. Chhetri says he had informed Jamil of his decision, citing he returned only for the qualifiers.
“It was easy telling Khalid sir about my decision. When I joined the national team, my only goal was to help as much as possible in the qualifiers. There was nothing else. If there were no qualifiers, I probably wouldn’t have come back. Once it was clear we couldn’t qualify, I was happy to tell the coach and he understood,” Chhetri said.
Chhetri’s ISL form was the primary reason why Marquez was compelled to recall him. He had scored 14 goals in the ISL, which was the second-best tally to Alaaeddine Ajaraie – the winner of the Golden Boot.
Initially hesitant, Chhetri agreed, but his comeback was far from memorable as he managed just one goal in six appearances. He now retires with 95 goals in his international career.