It’s time for a new era of Indian football to start: Sunil Chhetri

Sunil Chhetri played his swansong against Kuwait but it was not a fairytale ending to his career as the Blue Tigers played a goalless draw at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on Thursday. Almost 60,000 fans gathered in numbers but India could not bring their A-game.

The home team had their chances but they could not grab them. Rahim Ali had two chances after the first-half but the striker failed to make the most of it.

Meanwhile, Chhetri had a glittering career, scoring 94 goals for the Indian team in 151 appearances. He bagged many records in his fine career of 19 years.

“Food. Oh man, when I retire, I’m going to smash all of them! I’m quite regimental in the way I eat but I’m just going to let it go for five to ten days. I’m going for everything but especially the Indian dish of Aloo Paratha (a kind of flatbread stuffed with a potato filling),” Chhetri told FIFA.com

Reflecting on his decision to retire, Chhetri explained how he came to this pivotal moment: “I think it was a month after the last [World Cup qualifier] we played against Afghanistan, it started with a feeling, an instinct. Then I worked backwards towards it, why I’m feeling it and things like that. Eventually, it took me a month to come to the conclusion that this is it. This is the time that I should leave.

“In the build-up to that, a lot of things came into my mind. I think it’s time for a new era of Indian football to start and I think the No. 9 position should be open for the younger ones to come and make a claim for. That was one very important reason,” he added.

Chhetri admitted it was a challenging decision but he decided to hang his boots as he felt that the time was right.

“Second, the place where I am in my life right now was the reason why I also thought it was the right time. I kept this feeling for a month, it’s not easy because the kid inside me always wants to keep playing. So that was a real fight and I still go through it sometimes but I think the sane head, the mature one that is inside me, told me that this is it,” he remarked.

Chhetri is the fourth-highest goal scorer after Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Al Daei. The veteran is proud of his career’s longevity as he represented the Blue Tigers for 19 years.

“When you play for 19 or 20 years you realise that there is no comparison [between me and some of those others]. I’m also a huge fan of both Messi and Ronaldo, I get motivated by both of them and I’m just happy that I could score goals for my country.

“I’m happier though that I’ve played 150 games for my country. There aren’t many who have done that and that’s something that nobody can take away from me. Playing 150 games, that longevity is something that I’m really proud of,” Chhetri added.