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Football: Sunil Chhetri admits 2025-26 ISL season could be his last after retiring from international football

by Devesh Jaganath

image Football: Sunil Chhetri admits 2025-26 ISL season could be his last after retiring from international football
Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri has dropped a massive bombshell, suggesting that he could call time on his incredible football career at the end of the upcoming ISL season. Chhetri brought an end to his international career last month after India failed to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup.

Chhetri eyeing one more title run with Bengaluru FC

After an emotional send-off in June 2024, Sunil Chhetri made a stunning comeback to the Indian national team earlier this year at the request of now-former head coach Manolo Marquez. 

However, after the Blue Tigers' elimination from the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the Indian football legend informed current boss Khalid Jamil that his international playing days are over, and he could now be on the verge of ending his career altogether. Speaking to the media last week, he said:

"If we win the ISL, it will give me a chance to wear national (winning) club colours and play in international competitions again. At 42, it's not easy. I want to score 15 goals this season and retire."

Marquez originally approached Chhetri to reconsider his retirement due to his stellar form in the Indian Super League, where he scored 14 goals last season, finishing second in the Golden Boot race behind Alaaeddine Ajaraie. 

Unfortunately, his return to the national team was not the fairytale ending many had hoped for, as he was unable to steer the side to Asian Cup qualification and was excluded from Jamil’s squad for the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup. 

The start of a new era for Indian football

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Chhetri’s retirement from the Blue Tigers leaves the team with a huge void to fill, but the All India Football Federation has already started taking huge strides in that regard by widening its talent pool.

Kalyan Chaubey and co took a huge decision in recent weeks to open the door for players of Indian-origin to represent the country, and they have already roped in two new faces in Ryan Williams and Abneet Bharti. 

Williams represented Australia at U-20, U-23 and senior level and also spent time in England with Fulham and Portsmouth, while Bharti has played in several countries across Europe and South America. 

Both players have been called up by Khalid Jamil to India’s training camp in Bengaluru and are expected to be in contention to make their national team debut for the Blue Tigers against Bangladesh on November 18. 

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