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India's all-time top goal scorer, Sunil Chhetri, is coming out of retirement to help the national football team in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. The 40-year-old striker has been named in the 26-player squad for an upcoming friendly match against Maldives on March 19 and the qualifier match against Bangladesh on March 25 in Shillong.
India, who are still looking for their first win of 2024, are in a tough group with Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Only the top team from the group will qualify for the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
India's coach, Manolo Marquez, explained the need for Chhetri’s return, saying, "The Asian Cup qualification is very important. I spoke to Sunil and he agreed to come back to help the team."
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! ๐#IndianFootball #BlueTigers #BackTheBlue #SunilChhetri pic.twitter.com/VnHCGjaePX
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) March 6, 2025
Chhetri, who retired from international football in May 2023, had not commented on his return until now. However, Bengaluru FC, the team he plays for, posted a message saying, "Maybe all goodbyes are just an ‘I’ll see you soon’ in disguise."
Chhetri’s leadership and experience are crucial for the team. Kalyan Chaubey, the president of AIFF, said, "Sunil’s leadership is unmatched. He has played international football for almost 20 years and continues to perform well in the ISL, scoring 12 goals. India will benefit greatly from his presence."
Those superpowers ๐ are on ๐ฎ๐ณ duty once again ๐คฉ#BlueTigers ๐ฏ #IndianFootball โฝ pic.twitter.com/d4cEU0Aa9T
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 6, 2025
After his retirement, Chhetri continued to perform well in the Indian Super League (ISL), scoring 12 goals this season. Despite other strikers struggling, Marquez has brought Chhetri back to add strength to the attack.
In other news, goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has been left out of the squad due to inconsistent performances. Vishal Kaith, Amrinder Singh, and Gurmeet Singh will take the goalkeeping roles.
India now looks to Chhetri to lead them in the upcoming qualifiers as they aim for a spot in the AFC Asian Cup 2027.
