Sunil Chhetri's last dance in India's must-win match against Kuwait: A look at his career
The 39-year-old Chhetri will hang his boots at the end of this match and would like to ensure that the team enters the final-18 stage of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time.
Emotions will run high when the talismanic Sunil Chhetri leads India out one last time in a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait on June 6, hoping to propel his team into the next round as a parting gift after dominating the national football landscape for 19 years.
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The 39-year-old Chhetri will hang his boots at the end of this match and would like to ensure that the team enters the final-18 stage of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time.
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The top two teams from nine groups of four teams each will go on to make the third stage. This round will decide FIFA's increased allocation of eight World Cup berths for Asia.
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Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri on May 16 announced his decision to retire from international football after the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait in Kolkata on June 6, bringing the curtains down on a glorious two-decade career. (PTI Photo)
Chhetri had made his 150th appearance for India in March and scored on the occasion against Afghanistan in Guwahati. India, though, lost that game 1-2.
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For 19 years, Chhetri has carried the footballing hopes of a nation labelled as the 'sleeping giant' of world football. Chhetri, who made his debut in 2005, has scored 94 goals for the country.
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With 94 goals from 150 appearances and a dozen trophies in his cabinet, the diminutive Indian captain is a bonafide legend of the game. And it will be an evening of high emotions at the venue where his professional football career took shape with Mohun Bagan in early 2000s.
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Chhetri has happy memories against Kuwait, having played a key role in the equaliser by Sahal Abdul Samad that forced a penalty shootout and eventually a 5-4 triumph for India in the 2023 SAFF Championship in Bengaluru.
