Indian legend Sunil Chhetri will say farewell to international football on June 6 while Palestine are on the brink of reaching the final stage of Asian World Cup qualifying for the first time.
The 39-year-old skipper Chhetri has 94 goals in 150 appearances for India, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, Iran's retired Ali Daei and Lionel Messi in the list of all-time international goalscorers.
India's most-capped player announced in May that the June 6 home qualifier against Kuwait in Kolkata will be his international swansong, and he will want to go out with a bang.
Igor Stimac's side lie second in their group, behind already-qualified Qatar, and can take a large step towards the third and final qualifying round for 2026 with a win.
With two games left and two teams to go through, the last qualifying berth from the group is wide open, with India and Afghanistan level on four points and Kuwait on three.
"I feel privileged to have had a career like this," Chhetri told Indian newspaper The Economic Times.
"When I started playing football, all of this was unthinkable.
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin June 05, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin June 05, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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