Indian legend Sunil Chhetri has announced his return to professional football after just 8 months of retirement. India has two matches in the March FIFA window. One of them is against Maldives and the other is against Bangladesh. Chhetri is returning to football with those matches, according to the Indian football X (formerly Twitter) account. Even the name of the former captain is in the announced squad of India.
In a post on social media today, the Indian Football Authority said, “Sunil Chhetri is back. The captain, leader and legend of Indian football will return to international football with the FIFA March window.” Before announcing his retirement, Sunil Chhetri played 150 matches in international football in 19 years. In which he scored 94 goals, which is the most for India and the third highest in the world in the national team jersey.
India will play a friendly match against Maldives on March 19. The 40-year-old star is set to make his return to the football field with that match. They will then face Bangladesh in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers on March 25. Both matches will be held in Shillong. Although the news of Sunil Chhetri’s return to international football has already spread, the Indian winger has not yet reacted.
Earlier, Chhetri announced his retirement in a video message on May 15, 2024. Then, on June 6, he played his last match in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at the Yuva Bharati Stadium in Kolkata. This Asian football legend has changed his mind and decided to show his magic in professional football again. Earlier, Sunil played his first match for the national team jersey against Pakistan on June 12, 2005. He scored a goal in that debut match.
The Indian captain’s first international match was in the 2007 Nehru Cup. Chhetri scored a goal in the first match as India defeated Cambodia 6-0. Before that, Sunil Chhetri’s professional football career began in 2002 for Mohun Bagan. He now plays for Bengaluru FC in the ISL. Sunil was one of the key players in India’s Nehru Cup victories in 2007, 2009 and 2012. He has also won the SAFF Cup four times (2011, 2015, 2021 and 2023). In 2008, he led India to the FC Challenge Cup, which helped the team qualify for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 27 years.
