"Time will tell": Bhaichung Bhutia has his say on Sunil Chhetri's comeback

The 48-year-old Indian legend shared his honest opinion on the country’s all-time leading scorer’s return.

Indian football legend and former national team captain Bhaichung Bhutia recently took to social media to share his thoughts on Sunil Chhetri‘s surprising return to the national team setup. While the former East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant legend acknowledged Chhetri’s comeback as a boost, he also raised concerns about whether it was the right decision in the long term.

As a former player, Bhutia was critical about the timing of Chhetri’s return and how it could potentially hamper young stars’ progress in the national team squad. While Marquez will be keen to secure his future as Indian head coach with Chhetri’s inclusion, Bhutia clearly states his concerns with the 40-year-old’s return.

Chhetri’s return a double-edged sword for Bhaichung Bhutia

Sunil Chhetri, who had earlier announced his retirement from international football in June 2024, has decided to make a comeback to help India in their upcoming fixtures, especially the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers.

While Bhutia welcomed this decision, calling it “good news” for the national team, he also questioned whether relying on the veteran forward would hinder the progress of young Indian players.

“Sunil Chhetri coming out of retirement and playing for the national team is good news. But I’m not too sure if it’s going to help Indian football progress and develop on a longer run,” said Bhaichung Bhutia speaking to Sportzwiki.

Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia shared his thoughts on Sunil Chhetri returning to the Indian team. #IndianFootball #IndianFootballTeam #BlueTigers #SunilChhetri #SC11 pic.twitter.com/E0UfbeF4nD

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He stated, “I’m not too sure if this is going to help Indian football progress and develop in the long run.” Bhutia pointed out that 2024 was a disastrous year for the Indian national team, with the Blue Tigers failing to win a single match for over a year. The poor run of results has put enormous pressure on head coach Manolo Marquez and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), who are desperate for better team performances in 2025.

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Bhutia feels Marquez should have trusted the young players

India has been placed in Group B of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers alongside Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The former Bury FC forward felt that it was a favourable draw for the Blue Tigers and presented an easier qualification path than previous editions. He shared that India has qualified for the last 23 AFC Asian Cup editions and felt that Marquez could have taken a gamble on younger players instead of recalling Chhetri.

He shared, “This year we are placed in a group with Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Singapore. I feel it is a fairly good group to be in—fairly easy to qualify. Maybe Manolo Marquez could have gambled with some young Indian players and still qualified.”

Chhetri’s ISL form might have been a huge reason  

The Sikkimese Sniper also backed Chhetri to be an impactful player in the coming games. He stated that no Indian football fan can deny that Chhetri has been in excellent form for Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) this season. He also highlighted that Chhetri’s resurgence in form is because he retired from international football, which allowed him to be physically and mentally fresher.

Bhutia noted, “Sunil Chhetri had a great ISL season. He scored 12 goals and was the second-highest goalscorer. But one of the main reasons was that he had already retired from international football. So he was fresh mentally and physically.”

While Bhutia expressed his doubts about the long-term impact of Chhetri’s return, he reluctantly acknowledged that time would be a great indicator of whether it was a right or wrong decision.

As India gears up for a crucial year with the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers on the horizon, the debate over Chhetri’s comeback is bound to divide fan opinion. Whether his return will give India a much-needed boost or delay the transition to a younger generation of players will be a consequence of Marquez and AIFF’s decision.

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