Sunil Chhetri: A legendary figure in Indian football retires; here are some of his unknown records

Sunil Chhetri is a name that has been etched in the Indian football history. The team India captain have been one of the rarest talents in the nation. On Thursday, the footballer announced his retirement through a video on Twitter. The fans were shell-shocked hearing the news. He currently stands aloft at the peak of his immense contribution to the country.

The 39-year-old footballer started his career back in 2002 for Mohun Bagan (now Mohun Bagan SuperGiants). He was then brought by his father-in-law and former football coach Subrata Bhattacharya. He stayed with the club for three years and played under him till 2005. The footballer made his debut for the Indian senior team at the age of 21, and since then his career never turned back.

He went to play for both big clubs of Kolkata signing for East Bengal in the 2008-09 season. But his stellar career was with Bengaluru FC as he signed for the club back in 2013 and presently plays for the club. For BFC he has played in 197 appearances for the club scoring 77 goals for the club and is the highest goal scorer for the club as well. 

Sunil Chhetri: The greatest Indian footballer?

Chhetri is also stands in the list for the most goals scored for the country as he is third in the list of the active goal scorer in international football. In 150 appearances for the 'Blue Tigers' he has scored 94 goals across all competitions for the nation. He is already a legendary figure and has built his legacy for the club and the nation. The centre-forward is on the list of the top scorers of the Indian Super League as well as he is second on the list with 53 goals. 

Has also the record of most goals by an Indian in the AFC Competition and has scored a total of 19 goals in the AFC Cup and AFC Champions qualifiers. He is the only Indian player to play on three different continents, and has played in Asia, Europe (Sporting Club de Portugal) and North America (Kansas City Wizards). The striker said that the game against Kuwait which is part of the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, will be his last game. The match will be played at the Salt Lake Stadium on June 6. 

Some Unknown records of Sunil Chhetri

• Most hat-tricks by an Indian in ISL
• First Indian player to score a hat-trick in ISL
• Highest Indian goal scorer in ISL
• Highest Indian goal scorer in I-League
• AIFF Player of the Year for a record six times
• Most hat-tricks for India
• Most appearances for India
• Highest international goals by an Indian