Third-highest active international scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi announces retirement

The third-highest scorer of international goals among active footballers has announced his retirement from international football after a remarkable 19-year career.

Sunil Chhetri, 39, is the most-capped player in India national team history having played 150 international matches since making his debut against Pakistan in 2005.

He is also their all-time top goalscorer with 94 goals – a feat that has made him one of the country's most celebrated sporting individuals alongside Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar.

Across club and country, Chhetri's goal record currently stands at 252 from 515 appearances, meaning he averages almost a goal every two games.

And he will hoping to add to that impressive tally during India's World Cup qualification match against Kuwait – a game that will be his last for the Blue Tigers.

The 39-year-old confirmed his intentions in an emotional video posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.

“When I did decide that this is going to be my last game, I told my family about it. Dad was normal. He was relieved, happy, everything. It was my wife, strangely. I told her," he said.

"You always used to bug me that there are too many games, there’s too much of pressure. Now I am telling you that I’m not going to play for my country anymore after this game.

"Even they couldn’t tell me why there were tears. It’s not that I was feeling tired, not that I was feeling this or that. When the instinct came that this should be my last game, I thought about it a lot, eventually I came to this decision.

"Will I be sad after this? Of course. Do I feel sad sometimes everyday because of this? Yes. Do I feel like I’ll miss the training? Yes. It took time because the kid inside me never wants to stop given a chance to play for his country."

I'd like to say something... pic.twitter.com/xwXbDi95WV

— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) May 16, 2024

“I have practically lived the dream. Nothing comes close to playing for the country. So the kid kept fighting. But the mature inside knew this was it. It wasn’t easy,”

Chhetri added: "Every training that I do with the national team, I’m just going to enjoy it. I don’t feel that pressure. The game demands pressure. Against Kuwait, we need the three points to qualify for the third round. But in a strange way, I don’t feel the pressure.

“I’ll say something controversial. I don’t think I know any player that has received more love, affection and adulation from the fans in our country than me.

"A lot of times people talk about highest scorer, this or that, but the one thing that I think I’ve really got the best of, and I was really pampered is the love and affection I got. It’s time for our country to see the next number nine."