Kritika Gaur Witness the emotional farewell as Sunil Chhetri’s teammates pay tribute to the goalscoring legend in his last match. Don’t miss this historic moment between India and Kuwait.
At the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, in front of more than 58,000 spectators, Sunil Chhetri said goodbye to international football as Kuwait held India to a scoreless draw. India’s prospects of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup may have been hurt by the outcome, but the supporters temporarily forgot their disappointment when Chhetri completed a lap of the stadium and received a guard of respect from his teammates.
Guard of Honour To The Legend
As the players prepared for the guard of honour following the draw against Kuwait, Chhetri couldn’t contain his tears. He was comforted by his colleagues as he made his way through the tunnel to thunderous applause from the Indian spectators.
The 39-year-old appeared to be the youngest player during the game as he raced past his younger teammates in an attempt to increase his record-setting 94 goals scored in his 151st appearance. The record goal scorer for India, though, was not going to have the ideal sendoff as Kuwait dominated the play and had a lot more opportunities than the hosts.
The supporters were yelling “Sunil, Sunil,” “Vande Mataram,” and in the eleventh minute, Liston Colaco broke down the left wing and sent in a low cross, giving him his finest chance of the first half. Chhetri was about to score, but the attempt was foiled by Hasan Alanezi’s sliding clearance.
With an incredible 94 goals, Chhetri, now 39, ended his incredible 19-year career playing international football as the fourth-highest goal scorer in the history of the game. With this achievement, he trails only legendary players like Lionel Messi of Argentina (106 goals), Ali Daei of Iran (108 goals), and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal (128 goals).
Given the background of Indian football, which has mostly failed to leave its mark during the legendary striker’s career, Chhetri’s accomplishments are all the more remarkable.
Chhetri’s tearful farewell to international football was marked by the presence of his wife Sonam Bhattacharya, parents Kharga and Sushila, and a number of officials and former players, all of whom symbolised the significant influence he has had on Indian football.
Sunil Chhetri After The Game…
“I think for everyone who came for the game, for everyone who watched for the last 19 years, for the ones who have watched in videos, for the ones who have taken autographs and the ones who have been old-time supporters – thank you everyone. These 19 years would not have been possible without each and every one of you and I genuinely mean it. For everyone who is here, thank you so much – I genuinely mean it. I think [chokes up] I think I’ll speak from the heart – everyone stay well, stay happy – thank you, thank you so much.”
The Indian legend also handed out signed letters to the media after game, which read:
To my friends from the media,
Over the last 19 years, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with so many of you, on more than a few occasions. There were times when I had to say a lot less than I would have liked to, and others where I responded to your questions with long monologues. There were the answers laced with frustration, the ones that were – much to your annoyance – non committal, and then the press conferences that ended in a hurry. But through It all, I’d like to believe that I was always honest with you. And that I always chose to have a conversation with you, even if it risked making headlines for reasons beyond those that I would have liked.
I wanted to – by way of this letter and this occasion – thank you for playing the role you did in telling my story. Thank you for the love and adulation you have shown me through your prose and photographs. But most importantly, thank you for the times when you’ve been honest in your assessment of the way I’ve played or carried myself.
Yours isn’t an easy job, but a really important one. And now is as good a time as any, to acknowledge it. Keep telling stories of Indian football – the good, the not so good, but mostly the ones of genuine promise and hope. We need it now more than ever.
You had, and will always have the best seats in the house. I just hope that over these 19 years, I made that experience just a little more special. Maybe I’ll join you in your dugout for a game or two.
Signing off with gratitude,
Sunil Chhetri
