Producer: Peuli Bakshi
Legendary Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri announced his retirement from international football on Thursday (May 16). His final match will be against Kuwait on June 6 during the FIFA World Cup Qualifier 2026, scheduled to be held in Kolkata. Let us take a look at his international career highlights.
Sunil Chhetri made his international debut in 2005 and scored his first goal for the India football team against Pakistan.
One of Chhetri’s major achievements came in the SAFF Championship 2011 in New Delhi when he scored seven goals. He surpassed Indian legend IM Vijayan’s record of six goals in a single edition.
Sunil Chhetri is the only Indian player to have played in three different continents- Asia, Europe (Sporting Club de Portugal), and North America (Kansas City Wizards).
The Indian football team skipper has appeared in the most (150) international matches. Former captain Bhaichung Bhutia is a close second to Chhetri with 107 caps.
He is the highest Indian goal scorer in international football with 94 goals. The Indian striker is also the third-highest active goal scorer in world football, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Sunil Chhetri was named the SAFF Championship Player of the Tournament in 2011, 2015, and 2021.
He also clinched the SAFF Championship Top Scorer title in 2011, 2021, and 2023.
He was named the Hero of the four-nation Intercontinental Cup in its inaugural edition of 2018, as he scored two match-winning goals vs Kenya in the finals on June 10.
Chhetri also stands out as the all-time top goal scorer in the history of the Hero Intercontinental Cup, with 13 goals from 11 appearances, boasting a ratio of 1.18 goals per game.
He has the most (4) number of hat-tricks in international football. His first-ever hat-trick was during India’s 4-1 win against Tajikistan in the AFC Challenge Cup final in 2008.