India’s captain Sunil Chhetri waves to his followers on the finish of the Fifa World Cup 2026 Asia qualifier match between India and Kuwait on the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on June 6, 2024. — AFP
Indian soccer legend Sunil Chhetri will return to the nationwide workforce aged 40 in an sudden reversal of his choice to hold up his boots final 12 months.
The previous captain, the fourth-highest males’s worldwide goalscorer of all time, performed his final match for India in June 2024 in a World Cup qualifier.
Chhetri mentioned final 12 months that “instinct” advised him the match in opposition to Kuwait needs to be his final and he bowed out in entrance of practically 59,000 followers in Kolkata.
However on Thursday, India head coach Manolo Marquez introduced the return of India’s most-capped participant for the March worldwide window.
India are out of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and at the moment are focusing on the Asian Cup in 2027.
“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,” Marquez mentioned in an announcement from the All India Soccer Federation.
“He agreed, and so we have included him in the squad.”
India play a pleasant in opposition to Maldives on March 19, in preparation for an Asian Cup qualifier in opposition to Bangladesh on March 25.
Soccer has struggled to search out its toes among the many 1.4 billion individuals of India, the place the game is dwarfed by the nation’s longstanding cricket obsession.
Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter as soon as known as India a “sleeping giant” of soccer.
Chhetri is a sporting icon in cricket-mad India.
The diminutive striker, who’s 1.7 metres (5ft 7in) tall, made his debut in opposition to fierce rivals Pakistan in 2005 and scored India’s solely purpose.
Chhetri had two temporary however unsuccessful spells in Portugal and the USA, however has spent most of his profession in India.
In 2009 he was provided a contract by London membership Queens Park Rangers, in England’s second tier, however he couldn’t get a piece allow.
