Sunil Chhetri, the esteemed Indian forward, was overcome with emotion during his final appearance for the national team, which culminated in a goalless stalemate against Kuwait. Chhetri, who made his international debut back in 2005, bid farewell to his illustrious career amidst tears at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
As the Blue Tigers marked the end of an era for Chhetri, his teammates paid tribute with a guard of honour, prompting him to break down. With 94 goals to his name, Chhetri retires as the fourth-highest international goal scorer, following behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Ali Daei, and Lionel Messi.
Sunil was visibly moved as he was consoled by his teammates while making his way off the field.
Happy Retirement @chetrisunil11 😭💙 We Love you 3000 🤴 🇮🇳 ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/dhx2VgahAl
— Blue Pilgrims 🇮🇳 (@BluePilgrims) June 6, 2024
A very emotional moment for Sunil Chhetri. He couldn't hold his tears as the team members give him guard of honor. pic.twitter.com/wt2qjuDs9A
— Himanshu Pareek (@Sports_Himanshu) June 6, 2024
Perhaps the most emotional moment of the night. Sunil Chhetri had a guard of honour waiting for him, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Stood there crying for a while, walks through eventually, then goes down the stairs. Over and out. pic.twitter.com/PW6sLGq0V8
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) June 6, 2024
The emotional scenes captured the essence of Chhetri’s last international match, symbolizing the end of a remarkable journey for one of India’s footballing legends.