39 year old Sunil Shetty made his debut against Pakistan in 2005.

After being associated with the Indian football team for 19 years, he played 150 matches and scored 94 goals. With this, he has made the record of being the player who has played the most number of matches for the Indian team. Sunil Shettri also dominates the top scorer list. Meanwhile, Sunil Chhetri is at third place in the list of active players in the international football field after Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina's Lionel Messi.

Sunil Chhetri helped India win the Nehru Cup series in 2007, 2009 and 2012.

He also played a key role in winning the South Asian Football Confederation Championship in 2011, 2015 and 2021. Sunil Chhetri also played a key role in India's victory in the 2008 Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup. By winning this match, the Indian team qualified to play in the Asian Cup of the Asian Football Confederation after 27 years.

Born in Secunderabad, Sunil Chhetri made his debut at club level for Mohun Bagan in Kolkata in 2002. Subsequently, he played for the Kansas City Wizards in the United States in 2010 and Sporting CP in Portugal in 2012.

A 7-time Indian Football Federation Player of the Year award, Sunil Chhetri has played in India for clubs like East Bengal (2008–2009) and Tempo (2009–2010). He then played for Mumbai City FC (2015–2016) and Bengaluru FC in the ISL series.

In club competitions, Sunil Chhetri made a successful entry at Bengaluru FC. While in this team, he won the I-League title in 2014 and 2016. After this he promised to participate in the ISL series in 2019. Earlier in 2018, he had won the title of champion in the Super Cup Series.

He also captained Bengaluru FC in the 2016 AFC Cup Final. Sunil Shetty, who has been the face of Indian football for almost two decades, said in a video published on the X site about his decision to retire:

The upcoming match against Kuwait on the 6th will be my last match in the international football arena. I will never forget my debut for the Indian team. It was a great day on the tour with the Indian team. I also remember the 19 years I played for the Indian team. It is a mixture of duty, pressure and pleasure. I never played for personal gain in this journey.

I told my mom, dad and wife about my decision to retire. My father was normal. He was relaxed and happy, but my mother and my wife cried. They couldn't tell me. I didn't retire because I was feeling tired or other things. When I thought this would be my last game, I decided to retire. Sunil Chhetri has said this.