New Delhi: Sunil Chhetri might be third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when in active international goalscorers list, but the India captain promised to beat the Portuguese and the Argentinean when it comes to deliver for the Indian national team.
Chhetri recently led India to their ninth SAFF Championship title beating Kuwait in the final in Bengaluru. He also became the top scorer in the tournament with five goals to his name from as many games.
The Indian skipper emphasized that he is more focussed on helping the national team rather than looking into personal glory. “When it comes to giving your best for the country, I can beat even Messi and Ronaldo,” Chhetri told News18.
Reacting to India’s SAFF triumph, Chhetri called it ‘special’ before stating the 2024 Asian Cup will be very important as India set their eyes on getting to the group stages. “This SAFF Championship was special. Because we had Lebanon and Kuwait and we still won.
“The Asian Cup will be so important for us and we are all desperate to get to group stages,” the 38-year-old asserted. With age quickly catching up, there has been several talks in the air regarding Chhetri’s retirement. Chhetri, who was born in Secunderabad, didn’t put a fixed timeline but said he will only hang up his boots when the fire inside blows out.
“I feel great right now, and I’m inspired to do well for the country. The day I don’t feel that I will quit. But I don’t know when that happens,” said the Indian captain. He also said, “There is pressure on everyone now in the system to make Indian football better and that is a good thing.”
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