Mar 07, 2025 07:13 AM IST
Sunil Chhetri has the possibility to develop into simply the fourth participant within the historical past of males’s worldwide soccer to attain 100 objectives for his nation.
India soccer nice Sunil Chhetri can be including to his document 151 worldwide caps when India face Bangladesh within the third spherical of qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 on March 25. The 40-year-old, who known as time on his prolific worldwide profession final 12 months, has reversed his retirement and was included in India head coach Manolo Marquez’s group checklist of 26 gamers for the March FIFA worldwide window.
Sunil Chhetri will play the pleasant towards Maldives and the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier towards Bangladesh later this month. (Getty Photographs)(HT_PRINT)
Marquez has acknowledged that he had mentioned with Chhetri about probably making a comeback with an vital run of matches arising for the Indian group. “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. He agreed, and so we have included him in the squad,” he’s quoted as saying within the All India Soccer Federation’s (AIFF) assertion.
India play a pleasant match towards Maldives on March 19 in preparation for the opening match of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Remaining Spherical towards Bangladesh on March 25. Each matches can be performed in Shillong. India have been positioned in a qualifying group alongside Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Singapore for the Asian Cup. Within the match’s earlier version, India had a disappointing run, failing to progress previous the group stage after shedding all their matches.
Chhetri made his debut in 2005 and retired final 12 months as some of the prolific goalscorers of all time in worldwide soccer. His 94 objectives in 151 appearances places him effectively forward of everybody else within the checklist of India’s all-time highest goalscorers. Solely Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo (135), Argentina nice Lionel Messi (112) and Iran’s Ali Daei (108)have netted extra typically than Chhetri has in males’s worldwide soccer. The 40-year-old thus has the possibility now to develop into simply the fourth participant to attain 100 objectives for his or her nation.
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