In good news for Indian football fans, skipper Sunil Chhetri rubbished retirement talks and said he will continue to play for India on Friday, June 30. With 92 goals in 140 international matches so far, the legendary forward is arguably India’s best footballer of all time. And shows no signs of stopping.
The 38-year-old Chhetri has been in fine touch in the ongoing South Asian Football Federation Championship 2023 (SAFF Cup) with five goals in three matches, including a famous hat-trick against Pakistan. Speaking at the pre-match conference on the eve of India’s next match against Lebanon, Chhetri put an end to the ongoing retirement talks. He revealed that he is not thinking of saying goodbye to international football and added that he never sets long-term goals.
“I don’t know when will be my last game for the country. It comes from the fact that I never set long-term goals, I think about the next match, the next 10 days. It (retirement) could be Chhetri said before India’s semi-final match against Lebanon, “There will be days when maybe I don’t want to, because there are too many things and I will be exhausted. Until that time, I never think about it.”
“Generally, there are a few parameters that I think about. Whether I am contributing to the team or not, whether I am able to score goals or not, whether I am training as hard as I want to. There are certain markers that will tell me whether I am good enough for this team or not. The day I see that it is not there, I am done, I am gone because I have no other motivation to play.
However, the Bengaluru FC legend said that even his family is speculating about his retirement plans, which he jokingly avoids by showing off his remarkable stats.
“But sadly I cannot tell whether it (retirement) is in a year or six months. Fortunately or unfortunately my family is also anticipating it, and whenever they mention it, they joke. In, I tell them my figures. The day I finish my petrol, diesel, electricity or whatever I have done,’ said Chhetri.