Cricket stars and teams across India have shared tributes to Indian football team skipper Sunil Chhetri upon the striker announcing his retirement from international football. IPL franchises like KKR, MI and RCB took to their social media handles to share tributary posts for Chhetri.
Sunil Chhetri will play his final match for India on June 6 against Kuwait. (Photo: Getty)
New Delhi,UPDATED: May 16, 2024 17:28 IST
The long-successful and high-performing Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri announced on May 16, that he will be calling time on his prestigious 19-year-long international career on June 6. Upon revealing the decision, cricket greats and teams from the country took to their social media handles to pay tribute to the Indian football legend for his phenomenal career. On Thursday, Chhetri shared a video on Instagram, where he announced that he would be playing his last international fixture during India's FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Kuwait on June 6.
Chhetri's time in national colours saw him play for India for a record 150 matches, and even score 94 goals throughout those appearances. Since making a sensational debut against Pakistan back in 2005, where he also bagged the sole goal for India, Chhetri has been standing strong as the most successful striker option for his side till date. The 39-year-old's contribution towards the game of football, both on and off the field, has seen Chhetri gain the title of 'Captain Fantastic' from his massive fanbase. The India skipper has guided the side to 11 major trophies, which includes five SAFF Championship trophies.
Indian cricket stars like Virat Kohli and Kuldeep Yadav played special tribute to the Indian football team skipper, and were only joined by popular Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises like RCB, CSK, MI later.
India Football captain Sunil Chhetri to retire on June 6. ðŸåº
What a ride this has been, skipper! 94 international goals, so many laurels, an unbroken conviction and you’ve inspired so many young Indians to dream big. âš½ï¸ðŸëá
Happy farewell to the No.11 but India’s #1,â€æ pic.twitter.com/s3hEuXFjq3 — Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 16, 2024
The Board of Cricket council (BCCI) were also amongst the names who acknowledged the inspiring journey of Sunil Chhetri with the Indian football team.
Despite the international retirement call, Chhetri is expected to continue his club football career with Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League in the forthcoming years. Having finished runner-up the previous season, the Chhetri-led BFC finished disappointingly in 10th place in the recently concluded ISL 2023-2024 season.
Individually, Chhetri scored a total of 5 goals and had 3 assists in the season, which says that the veteran is far from over with his overall football career.
Published By:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published On:
May 16, 2024
English (US) ·