NEW DELHI: Sunil Chhetri, the captain of the Indian football team, stated on Friday that he made the instinctual choice to retire following the World Cup qualifier against Kuwait next month and that he would prefer to enjoy a "sabbatical" after finishing his domestic circuit commitments.
After the June 6 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait, Chhetri, 39, announced his decision to retire from international football. This marked the end of a 19-year career that saw him rise to the top of India's goal-scoring chart with 94 goals.
As the player with the most caps for India, he will exit the game.
"The retirement decision was not because of physical aspect, I am still fit, running, chasing, defending, the hard work is not difficult, the reason is to do with mental aspect," said Chhetri during a virtual interaction without elaborating on the issue of mental health that has become a major concern among professional sportspersons across disciplines.
"I was fighting with myself, trying to think holistically, it came instinctively. One year I will be in Bengaluru FC, I don't know how long I will be playing (domestic football), after that I want to take a sabbatical," he added.
Chhetri responded, "I will not say never, I will think during my sabbatical but it's not very high on my agenda as of now," when asked if he would think about coaching when his playing career ended.
Chhetri has a one-year contract with the Indian Super League team.
The renowned athlete, who has led Indian football since Bhaichung Bhutia announced his retirement, went on to say that he has discussed his decision with India coach Igor Stimac prior to making it public.
"When I went to Stimac and told him about my retirement decision, he understood it," he said.
Another person he spoke with was star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli.
"He is very close to me, understands me," Chhetri said.
(With PTI inputs)
