The only bright point in Indian football, Sunil Chhetri, is retiring, and there won't be a replacement anytime soon.
The legendary Sunil Chhetri discussed the lack of a reliable goal scorer on the same day he announced his decision to retire on June 6th, after 19 years, 150 games for his country, and 94 goals. Many of the boys on the national team don't play as No. 9s for their clubs, so we are already somewhat handicapped, Chhetri added.
"It's time to see our nation's next No. 9."
The Indian national football team has been hoping for years that the next generation of strikers who could lead the nation will eventually emerge and answer the question of what life may be like without Sunil Chhetri.
Even Chhetri himself was unable to steer clear of the subject in his retirement video now that June 6 is the day of reckoning. The persistent, yet unaddressed concern about "who next after Chhetri"
It's an understatement to say that the 39-year-old has become indispensable to the nation. What indicates what is ahead is how much it has depended on Chhetri. Examine some of India's most significant victories and draws from the previous 19 years.
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