‘Never dreamed of playing for the national team’: Sunil Chhetri ahead of 150th international match

Sunil Chhetri, who plays his 150th senior international match against Afghanistan in the 2026 World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers 2nd Round in Guwahati, said the India skipper, He never dreamed of playing for the national team. Speaking to AIFF, the 39-year-old Blue Tigers captain said that when he made his debut in the Subroto Trophy, he never thought of representing India as there was no bridge between one’s actions and purpose. ground to connect.

“When I was playing in the Subroto Cup in Delhi, I didn’t even think or dream that I would play for the national team. The professional setting of playing for a club was too far away. There is no bridge that can directly connect your actions to your Destination. That is not the case now because a kid who plays for any club knows what he or she has to do to get to where they want to be. That was not the case back then. So, I never dreamed of playing football for the country.” , AIFF quoted Chhetri as saying.

Chhetri revealed that just a few days ago, he had no idea that he was about to break the record of 150 senior international matches.

“When I started, I never thought that one day I would be able to play for the national team. In fact, even a few days ago, I didn’t realize that I was on the verge of such a record. When you stop and think about it Thinking “This is an incredible feat. I’m very lucky, very grateful and very privileged to be in this position,” he added.

Ahead of India’s upcoming match against Afghanistan in Guwahati, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) decided to congratulate Sunil Chhetri.

On June 12, 2005, he put on the national team jersey for the first time in a friendly match against Pakistan in Quetta. He was the scorer in India’s 1-1 draw. Since then, he has played 149 times on behalf of the national team and scored a record 93 goals. A prolific goalscorer, Chhetri maintains a record of scoring at least one goal in his first, 25th, 50th, 75th, 100th and 125th game for the Blue Tigers unique record.

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