Former India football team captain Sunil Chhetri announced his international retirement at the age of 39 and is set to continue with Indian Super League (ISL) club Bengaluru FC for the upcoming season.

The veteran striker, the face of Indian football on the world map, has featured in 151 games for the national team since 2005 and notched 94 goals to his name. Moreover, Chhetri is the second-highest goalscorer in the ISL and is the only Indian to net 50+ goals in the league.

Over the years, Chhetri has experienced numerous successes in his football career. The forward won the ISL Cup, I-League, Durand Cup, Super Cup, and Federation Cup with the Blues and has also clinched the Intercontinental Cup, SAFF Championship, Tri-nation Series, Nehru Cup, and AFC Challenge Cup with the Blue Tigers.

Recently, Chhetri had an interview with Raj Shamani, where he discussed his illustrious football career and his mother’s role in his childhood days and shared his insights on the game he played for years.

Here are few excerpts from the interview:

Why do people love Sunil Chhetri?

When you go everywhere, people invite you and accept you with open arms; everything is taken care of. When it was happening at the beginning, you were young and enjoying it. But suddenly, when you get time, you sit back and think, wow. What you do is play, that is something that you always wanted. That is probably the only thing that you are good at. And, now that everyone loves you, you are getting paid for it. When you are a young guy and you are getting paid for it, it’s decent. Now, it’s something that you could not have even thought of. Then, you meet different people; wherever you go, it’s a pretty thing. These are not normal, and I’m also mindful of what normal things are in our country. I was one of them. Suddenly, when you see this, it’s unbelievable. You don’t wake up every day, and think about it, but whenever you get time, tell yourself, 'These are unbelievable things. You get this because you’re doing something that everyone wants.' When you are young, everyone wants to play and thinks of becoming a sports star. So, I am living that dream, and even in that dream, the question comes are you at the pinnacle? I don’t know how to react; I only know it’s unbelievable. I don’t believe that I am at the top, and this stuff was never the goal. I do realise that I live a very privileged life, an unbelievably privileged life, especially in my country.

Is Chhetri's mother his biggest competitor?

Yes, she (Chhetri's mother) is still my biggest competitor. It's a fact, and she is that feisty. Between my mom and dad, she has a more skillful and sporty gene. Both are very sporty. The hand-eye coordination is clearly there. Yes, they played football, so DNA doesn't lie. For my mom or dad to play any sport, it came naturally. My dad was in the army and was absent as he was posted in several places. When he went to some difficult places, he had to stay there. So our bringing was completely (done) by our mother. She was 17 when she got married, and I don't know how it was legal. She had me when she was 18 and a half. And she was 20 when my sister was born. Imagine a 20-year-old girl now, in these days and ages, taking care of two kids alone.

My father used to come every six months, two months, and sometimes years. So whatever we had to learn was from my mother. And thankfully and fortunately, my mother is a feisty sports woman. Even now, if she wins against you, she has a proper football banter like fans. Like, leave and go; you're the worst; you can't even do this; don't talk to me.. In the initial days of my career, (my aim was) to beat her. The Chinese checkers, chess, carrom board, arm wrestling, football, volleyball, badminton — she was beating me in everything. On the high inside I realised, 'Wow, you kids need competition, and I didn't have to get out of my house to get competition'. She was that good. Then, finally, when I was 13, I couldn't tell you how happy I was after hearing her. Because I could get back the banter. I was in that age when it pinched you when you lost; you became angry and started throwing things and crying. At this age, your mother is beating you in every case, and then I beat her back. Oh! That was nice.

How does sport make you competitive?

The way you were born with your hormones in a dynamic way, that's yours. And when you go out and compete in sports, this nature has to come within yourself. Everyone has it, more or less. There will be Ronaldo, Messi, Virat Kohli, and Marry Kom who show their emotions in different manners, but it must come. When you play sports and your heartbeat is at 170-190 km/h and you have to think, you have to be emotional. When you're 180–190 km/h, sometimes you do crazy stuff. Become angry after losing and be competitive are the byproducts of sports. As a person, how you are and how you behave are different in different aspects. Some players understand it and have a cap on it a bit more; some don't. There are some matches when you lose it, or you can be cool. But it's the byproduct of sports that you have to be competitive if you want to sustain it for a longer time, and you really invested in it. You will not get anyone who says I don't care if I lose. That's why sports people get crazy when they retire.

Who do you idolise the most?

I love watching Messi more. But I idolize all of them, and I learn so much from all of them.

I am a fan of both (Messi and Ronaldo). They are both outstanding players.

I've learned and followed him (Ronaldo) a lot (because of his) hard work and discipline. I'm not saying Messi is not. I've got less knowledge about what Messi (has) done for it. For Ronaldo, I've read more and seen more. I love to follow him as a specimen (because of) the way he works hard. But I enjoy watching Messi more. Things that Messi does. Forget to play like them, because no one (else) can. But, even to think of doing something like them, it's difficult to think of what Messi does. I am not saying it's easy to follow, copy, or (be) inspired by Ronaldo, but the blueprint is easier to understand because that's the way I should be. Messi plays the game in a different manner.

Who are the individuals who made you better as a player?

If we talk about foreigners, I’ll give you some foreigners’ names. In my team, there was somebody called John Johnson, who was an Englishman; there was Miku, Dimas (Delgado), from Spain. The quality they got was different. There are lots of players that are playing against. Their level was better. Agility, running, touch, focus, and game IQ, which make you a player, were one or two levels better for them. It’s because of the system they came from. It takes a lot of verticals to come together to make a player. And then you become that kind of player with whom you are playing together.

Watch the full interview here: