Sunil Chhetri has officially ended his international career after India exited in the final round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The 41-year-old, India’s all-time top scorer with 95 goals in 157 matches, had originally retired in June 2024 with an emotional farewell at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. However, he returned earlier this year after then head coach Manolo Mrquez requested his presence in the Asian Cup qualifiers.
Chhetri played six matches during his comeback, score only once. Despite his efforts, India failed to qualify. after the campaign told current head coach Khalid Jamil to drop him out of the squad for the final AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh and focus on shaping the team’s future without him.
While it was a sign, Chhetri confirmed his second retirement from national team duties in an interview with the Tech Word News.
“It was easy to tell Khalid Sir about my decision. When I joined the national team, my only aim was to help as much as possible in the qualifiers. There was nothing else. If there were no qualifiers, I probably wouldn’t have come back. Once it was clear that we couldn’t qualify, I was happy to tell the coach and he understood,” said Chhetri.
“I don’t regret anything, except that we didn’t qualify. I gave my best,” he added.
He also stepped down as captain and let senior players like Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan lead the team.
Sunil Chhetri’s Professional Retirement?
Although Chhetri has officially retired from international football, he dropped a surprising hint that the 2025-26 season with Bengaluru FC could be his last in professional football.
“If we win the ISL, it will give me a chance to wear the national (winning) club colors and play in international competitions again. It’s not easy at 42. I want to score 15 goals this season and retire,” he added.
The revelation came as a surprise to fans, given his continued domestic form. Earlier this year, Chhetri scored 14 goals in the ISL, second only to Golden Boot winner Alaaeddine Ajarai. A winning season could allow him to bow out on a high, while a disappointing campaign could see him hang up his boots altogether.
India still lack a replacement for Chhetri
Chhetri’s potential complete departure leaves a glaring void for India. His return earlier this year was prompted by the lack of a proven striker to lead the way, and even after his brief return, the national team still hasn’t identified a reliable striker to shoulder the responsibility.
With Chhetri retiring from international football, India face the urgent task of nurturing a striker capable of filling the gap left by its most prolific goalscorer, a challenge that could define the next era of the Blue Tigers.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
November 7, 2025
