 "Sunil Chhetri, Indian football's brightest spot, to hang up his boots")
Over the past decade, Sunil Chhetri’s daily ritual involved waking up at the crack of dawn for a rigorous cardio session, followed by weightlifting exercises and agility drills. The intense workout would be followed by breakfast that included broccoli, chickpeas, sushi, black olives, tuna, red meat and a cup of green tea.
Apart from his God-gifted talents as a footballer, it is this unflinching determination to achieve enviable fitness levels and impeccable work ethic that have helped Chhetri attain longevity in such a physically demanding sport.
On Thursday, Chhetri, 39, widely considered one of the greatest Indian footballers, and also known as the fountain of eternal youth, announced his decision to retire from international football on June 6.
In a video posted on X, ‘Captain Fantastic’, as he is popularly known, said India’s World Cup qualification match against Kuwait next month will be his last international outing.
“The kid inside me will probably keep fighting to play football, but the sensible, mature player and person knows that this is it,” he said, adding, “But it wasn’t easy.”
The announcement capped a stellar 19-year career, in which Chhetri single-handedly put the spotlight on Indian football, a sport that is surprisingly marginalised to the fringes in a predominantly cricket-crazy country.
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With 94 goals in 150 appearances, Chhetri holds the record of being the third-highest goal-scorer in international football, behind talismanic virtuoso greats like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
He was also conferred the Arjuna Award, India’s second-highest sporting award, in 2011 and the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award, in 2019.
As captain, Chhetri led the Indian team with great imagination and flair.
The Asian Football Federation Challenge Cup, the South Asian Football Federation Championship and the Intercontinental Cup wins are testament to the strides made by Indian football under his helm.
As a player, Chhetri hated losing. This ultra-competitive streak was ingrained in him since childhood.
The three-part documentary chronicling the life of the Indian football captain, released by FIFA in 2022, showed how he would not even concede to family members in board games.
Chhetri grew up in and around the cantonment area of Secunderabad in the undivided Andhra Pradesh. His father, KB Chhetri, was an army man – now in his late 60s, he continues to maintain remarkable fitness levels. His mother, Sushila, played for Nepal’s football team. It’s not a surprise that sports and fitness come naturally to their son.
Tributes have been pouring in, with fans and team-mates expressing their love and gratitude to Chhetri.
“It’s a sad day in Indian football. Sunil was a fighter, who always wanted to improve himself as a player. He is someone who has not put a foot wrong on and off the field,” Alvito D’Cunha, a retired Indian footballer who played for East Bengal as a midfielder and represented India as a midfielder in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, told Business Standard.
Shaji Prabhakaran is someone who has seen Chhetri grow in stature in international football since he made his debut against Pakistan in 2005.
“In 2005, I was the national team director, and was sitting at the AIFF (All India Football Federation) office in Goa, when Sukhwinder Singh, the chief coach, said that we need to add Sunil in the team. I still remember his words: ‘He is the greatest talent that we have,’” Prabhakaran reminisced.
D’Cunha, who shared a room with Chhetri in Kolkata’s Hazra Road while playing in the I-League, paid tribute to his former roommate’s prolific goal-scoring prowess.
“With time, he improved tremendously as a player. His ability to distribute the ball was amazing,” he said. “More often than not, his headers were always spot on. He has scored against some of the best teams like Iraq, Australia and Cameroon.”
When Chhetri was once asked how he managed to find the net with such ridiculous ease, he had famously remarked: “I miss as many as I score.”
Prabhakaran termed Chhetri as the “best finisher” to play for India.
“He kept himself grounded, took adequate care of himself, and it was a solo effort because of which he has reached such heights” he said. “He is that one bright spot in Indian football.”
Beyond football, Chhetri is an avid reader, with Yuval Noah Harari, the author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, being his favourite writer. “I have read all his books. I like the way he thinks about life,” Chhetri said in an interview to Puma India’s ‘Let there be sport’ conclave last year.
Chhetri’s lasting legacy will be the manner in which he inspired a whole new generation of budding footballers.
“He is the true ambassador of Indian football,” Prabhakaran said. “Sunil’s retirement will create a big void. Those are big shoes to fill.”
His iconic No 11 jersey will hold a special place among fans.
While Chhetri has not elaborated on his post-retirement plans, it should come as no surprise if on June 7, the day after his final game, he is up at the crack of dawn for the rigorous cardio session.
Off-field presence
Sunil Chhetri’s on-field performance, wide fan following, and engagement on social media are reasons for his diverse brand portfolio.
Among the ones he has lent his name to are audio brand ACwO, Puma, Pintola peanut butter, streaming platform VuSport and Acer India.