In an exclusive chat with TOI, Sunil Chhetri opened up about his plans for life after football, hinting that the upcoming 2025-26 season could be his last if Bengaluru FC fail to lift the Indian Super League (ISL) title or secure qualification for continental tournaments. “If we win the ISL, it’ll allow me to wear the club’s colours on the international stage once more. But at 42, it’s tough. My goal is to score 15 goals this season and then retire,” Chhetri said. One of India’s all-time greats, Chhetri had brought the curtains down on his international career in June last year with an emotional farewell at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium. He later made a brief comeback in June 2025 at the insistence of coach Manolo Marquez. Now that India’s hopes of qualifying for the Asian Cup 2027 final round are over, the veteran forward confirmed his return to the national team was short-lived. “It wasn’t hard telling Khalid sir about my decision,” Chhetri said. “When I came back, my only aim was to help India in the qualifiers. That was it. If the qualifiers hadn’t been there, I probably wouldn’t have returned. Once we were out, I felt at peace stepping away again, and the coach understood.”Also Read: Sunil Chhetri calls time on India career: ‘At 42, it’s not easy’ Earlier this year, when Manolo Marquez first reached out about a possible return, Chhetri had declined. But after his impressive ISL season—14 goals, just behind Golden Boot winner Alaaeddine Ajaraie—Marquez called again. This time, Chhetri took advice from his family and close friends before deciding to follow his instincts. “I knew the call came because of my ISL form,” he explained. “The qualifiers made me say yes in the end.” However, his second stint didn’t bring the success he had hoped for. Despite being the top-ranked team in the group, India failed to win any of their four games and were eliminated. Chhetri found the net only once in six matches after his return, finishing with 95 international goals—fourth on the all-time men’s list, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi among active players. Was there disappointment? “I’ve played long enough to know how football works,” he said. “There are no regrets about returning. The only regret is that we couldn’t qualify. I gave my best every game.” Chhetri also shared that he had declined the captaincy during his comeback, wanting others like Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sandesh Jhingan, and Rahul Bheke to take up leadership roles. “I’m thankful to the national camp for the warmth and respect I received,” he said. “It felt like rejoining family. The only bitter part is that we didn’t qualify. We had the team to do it, but we fell short.”
