Sunil Chhetri comes out of retirement to play for India again
The veteran forward is coming out of his brief international retirement to play for the Blue Tigers during the FIFA International Window in March.
Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri has decided to come out of international retirement and rejoin the Blue Tigers for the FIFA International Window in March.
The Bengaluru FC captain had announced on May 16 last year, that he would retire from international football after India's World Cup qualifier against Kuwait on June 6 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata—a match that ended in a goalless draw.
𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐈 𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊. 🇮🇳
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 6, 2025
The captain, leader, legend will return to the Indian national team for the FIFA International Window in March.#IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/vzSQo0Ctez
However, on March 6, 2025, Chhetri reversed his decision and confirmed his return to the national team. His comeback comes at a crucial time as India is about to start their preparation for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round.
The 40-year-old striker is the fourth-highest international goalscorer of all time, with 94 goals to his name. He has been in stellar form in the Indian Super League (ISL) this season, scoring 12 goals and providing two assists.
India will face the Maldives on March 19 in a friendly before kicking off their third-round World Cup qualifying campaign against Bangladesh on March 25. Both matches will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Guwahati.
