The day that Indian football fans dreaded most, finally arrived on May 16th. That was the day when Sunil Chhetri, captain of India, and the nation’s topmost goalscorer, announced his retirement from the game. He said that his last game for India will be the one on June 6, when India will clash with Kuwait in the qualifying round of the FIFA World Cup.
Sunil Chhetri’s departure from the Indian team will leave a void that will be almost impossible to fill. At present, no player can be seen as his replacement. The 39-year-old goal scorer was India’s main striker for 19 years after making his debut against Pakistan in 2005.
World’s topmost goalscorers
At present, Sunil is ranked 3rd on the list of international goalscorers who are still active in the game. The only players ahead of him are Cristiano Rolando and Lionel Messi.
Portugal’s Ronaldo tops the list with 128 goals, in second place is Iran’s Ali Daei with 108 (but he is no longer playing), in third place is Lionel Messi of Argentina with 106, and in fourth place is Sunil Chhetri with 94. Since Ali Daei retired long ago, among those who are still in the game, Sunil’s name is third. It is a great achievement for an Indian footballer to occupy this rank in international football.
Born in Secunderabad
Sunil Chhetri was born in Secunderabad on August 3, 1984. His father K. B. Chhetri was an officer in the EME centre at the time of his birth. Football was in Sunil’s blood because his father played for the Indian army team while his mother Sushila had represented Nepal women’s football team.
Soon after he was born, his father was posted to Darjeeling where Sunil did his schooling. He started playing football at a young age and rose rapidly in the game. On June 12, 2005, he made his debut for the senior Indian team against Pakistan and right away scored his first goal.
Took the mantle from Bhutia
This correspondent had the experience of covering a few of the matches in which Sunil played. At that time Bhaichung Bhutia was the main striker for India and Sunil was his understudy. But after Bhutia left the game the mantle descended on Sunil and he took up the responsibility with great dedication to become India’s greatest football icon.
Reacting to the news of his impending retirement, Victor Amalraj, who was the last player from the twin cities to lead the Indian team as well as the big three clubs of Kolkata, said that the gap cannot be filled easily. “The Indian coach Igor Stimac has been trying out different players to unearth a suitable replacement for Sunil. But it will take a long time to find a player of that level. However, every generation produces its heroes. We are a nation of 1.4 billion people. Surely another champion will emerge after a while,” said Amalraj.
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