India head coach showered praise on Sunil Chhetri after his final international match. Stimac said that Chhetri's qualities were irreplaceable in the national team.
Sunil Chhetri retires from international football. (Reuters Photo)
Kolkata,UPDATED: Jun 7, 2024 00:05 IST
India head coach Igor Stimac left no stones unturned in praising India captain Sunil Chhetri after his final match for the national team on Thursday, 6 June. Speaking at the post-match interview, Stimac was asked about the qualities that make Sunil Chhetri a legend of Indian football. Stimac said that some of Chhetri's qualities were irreplaceable but the ones that make him a legend were his goals and leadership.
Sunil Chhetri signed off from India football with an unmatched record of 94 games and 151 matches. Chettri was the unchallenged leader in Indian football for many years leaves a big hole in the Indian national team. Stimac said that Sunil Chhetri's ability to push himself while lifting others, made him a special player.
"Goals, leadership. You know, he was the one who, when he started scoring goals on his debut, and never stopped. And then experience comes on top of that and, doing everything for the coach on the team, being the right-hand man, you know, doing half of the job also, and pushing others when it's difficult lifting them up. You know, these are the things which you cannot replace," Stimac said after the match.
SUNIL CHHETRI'S FAREWELL ENDS IN DRAW
Sunil Chhetri's final international game before retirement suffered a not-so-ideal fate after India played out a disappointing 0-0 draw against Kuwait on June 6 in what was their FIFA World Cup Qualifier clash. Playing the entirety of the match, Chhetri was not able to end his already iconic India career with one more match-winning goal. The 39-year-old ended his career as the fourth-highest goalscorer in men's international football with his 94 goals, behind the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Ali Daei.
Sunil Chhetri was in tears as the Salt Lake Stadium gave a standing ovation to the legendary footballer after his final game at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Sunil Chhetri's final game for India ended in a 0-0 draw against Kuwait. Chhetri took a lap of honour at the end of the game in the Salt Lake Stadium, which stood on its feet, chanting the name of the footballer.
The Indian players also gave Chhetri the guard of honour at the end of the match as they bid goodbye to the legendary footballer. Chhetri retired as the highest goal scorer for India (94) after playing the most matches for the team.
Published By:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published On:
Jun 7, 2024
English (US) ·