Legendary Indian Captain Sunil Chhetri comes back from retirement for national duty

The captain, leader and legendary striker Sunil Chhetri is set to make an unexpected comeback to the national team, as confirmed by the All India Football Federation on Thursday.

The Indian football legend has chosen to come out of his international retirement to assist the national team in their upcoming FIFA-friendly matches scheduled for this month. Chhetri, who has captained the team for over a decade, returns to represent the squad at the age of 40, bringing his wealth of experience and leadership to the field.

Captain Fantastic returns to the national side 

Chhetri, who debuted internationally in 2005 and concluded his career as India's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, has been selected for coach Manolo Marquez's roster of 26 players for the upcoming FIFA international window in March.

"Sunil Chhetri is back. The captain, leader, legend will return to the Indian national team for the FIFA International Window in March," the AIFF wrote on X.

This decision comes less than a year after Chhetri announced his retirement from the sport, following an illustrious career that steered Indian football past many adversities.

Sunil is one of the top scorers in the sport with 94 international goals; Chhetri's departure made headlines globally. FIFA, the global governing body of football, paid tributes to the footballing icon.

"The qualification for the Asian Cup is very crucial for us. Given the importance of the tournament and the matches ahead, I discussed with Sunil Chhetri about making a comeback to strengthen the national team. He agreed, and so we have included him in the squad." Manolo Marquez said.

In 2022, FIFA released a documentary celebrating the legacy of the long-serving Indian captain. Chhetri ranks as the fourth-highest goalscorer in men's football history, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Ali Daei. He officially retired after the FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait in Kolkata on June 6 last year.

Despite being one of the oldest players on the pitch, Sunil Chhetri is the highest Indian goal scorer in the current edition of the Indian Super League. At 40, he scored 12 goals in 23 matches for his club, Bengaluru FC, this season. India will take on the Maldives and Bangladesh in the FIFA-friendly window. The latter fixture is an AFC Asian Cup qualifier.