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Sunil Chetri returned to football at the 40th year after retiring – to strengthen the hopes of qualification for the Asia Cup in India.
Indian football legend Sunil Chetri will return to the national team at the age of 40 in an unexpected turning of his decision to hang his boots last year.
The former captain, the fourth highest male international goal scorer of all time, He played his last match for India in June 2024. in the World Cup qualifier.
Fitri told last year that the instinct told him that the match against Kuwait should be his last, and he bowed to nearly 59,000 fans in Kolka.
But on Thursday, India's chief trainer Manolo Marquez announced the return of India's most accused player for March International Window.
India are not ranking for the World Cup in 2026 and are now aimed at the Asian Cup in 2027.
“Qualification for the Asian Cup is very important to us. Given the importance of the tournament and the matches ahead, I discussed with Sunil Chetri regarding the return to strengthen the national team, “Marquez said in a statement by the Football Federation throughout India.
“He agreed, so we included him in the team.”
India plays friendly against the Maldives on March 19, preparing as a qualifier of the Asian Cup against Bangladesh on March 25.
Football is struggling to find his feet among 1.4 billion people in India, where sports are a dwarf of longtime cricket craze in the country.
Former FIFA president Sep Blat once called India a “sleeping giant” of football.
Chhetri is a sports icon in crazy cricket India.
The diminutive striker, which is 1.7 meters high (5 feet 7 inches), debuted against the fierce rivals Pakistan in 2005 and scored the only goal of India.
There were two short but unsuccessful spells in Portugal and the United States, but spent the bigger part of his career in India.
In 2009, he was offered a contract from London Club Queens Park Rangers, in the second level of England, but he could not obtain work permission.
