The 40 -year -old Indian football legend will return to the 40 -year -old national team in an unexpected reflection of his decision to suspend his shoes last year.
The former captain, the fourth highest international top scorer for men in all ages, played his last match for India in June 2024 in the World Cup qualifiers.
“The instinct” told him that the match against Kuwait should be the last and that it bends in front of nearly 59,000 fans in Kolkata.
But on Thursday, the coach of India coach Manolo Marquis announced the return of the most suitable India player in the March International window.
India is outside the qualification for the 2026 World Cup and is now targeting the Asian Cup in 2027.
“The qualification for the Asian Cup is crucial for us. Given the importance of the championship and the upcoming matches, I discussed with Sonel Tchan about returning to strengthen the national team,” Marx said in a statement issued by the Football Association in India.
“He agreed, and so we included it in the team.”
India plays friendly against the Maldives on March 19, in preparation for the Asian Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh on March 25.
Football has struggled to find its feet between 1.4 billion people from India, as the sport dwarfed from a long -term cricket obsession.
Former FIFA president Sep Blatter described India as a “sleeper giant” football.
Chietri is a sporty icon in Indian cricket.
The minimal striker, 1.7 meters (5 feet and 7 inches), appeared for the first time against his fierce competitors in Pakistan in 2005 and scored India’s only goal.
Chietri had short but unsuccessful attacks in Portugal and the United States, but he spent most of his career in India.
In 2009, he was offered a contract by Queens Park Rangers, in the second layer in England, but he could not obtain a work permit.