Sunil Chhetri Admits Jealousy Over India’s Brazil Tests

Former India captain Sunil Chhetri says he feels “a little jealous” as the current national-team generation prepares to face Brazil and Uruguay in September, opponents he never had the chance to meet during his long international career.

Chhetri, who retired from international football after serving as the face of Indian football for more than two decades, described the prospect of India taking on two of the game’s major powers as exciting. But he also acknowledged the personal sense of envy that comes with watching from the outside after a career in which such an opportunity did not arise.

“I feel a little jealous as a spectator. In my 24-26 years as a professional and nearly 20 years with the national team, I never got an opportunity like this,” Chhetri told the All India Football Federation.

A rare opportunity for India’s current squad

India’s scheduled meetings with Brazil and Uruguay represent a high-profile challenge for the present squad. Chhetri’s message was focused on the value of the occasion for the players selected to take part.

The former striker said he hoped the squad could stay fit, compete with determination and make the most of the chance to test itself against elite opposition. For a player who spent nearly two decades with the national team, the matches carry added significance because they provide the current group with an experience he did not receive.

Chhetri also expressed confidence in the young talent within the team. While he is no longer part of the national setup, he said the opportunity belongs to the players now representing India and compared their moment to the chance he received earlier in his own career.

“This is their time. There are so many talented youngsters in the team. Everyone gets their opportunity; just like I got mine 20 years ago,” he said.

His comments underline both the scale of the forthcoming tests and the responsibility attached to them. The matches against Brazil and Uruguay will give India’s current players a chance to compete on a stage that Chhetri said was unavailable to him across his professional and international career.

Chhetri backs staff and jokes about a return

Chhetri was also asked about team selection and the exclusion of certain players. He declined to weigh in on those decisions, backing the head coach and coaching staff to determine what the team requires.

“The coach has to answer that. I’m just a fan now, watching like everyone else,” he said.

The former captain recently returned to training but dismissed any immediate suggestion of an international comeback with humour. Chhetri said he had trained for 20 minutes and, at around 42, was struggling to run properly.

That response reinforced his position as a supporter of the current group rather than a candidate to rejoin it. His attention is on the players who will face Brazil and Uruguay, and on their ability to use a rare international opportunity well.

For Chhetri, the upcoming fixtures bring together admiration and understandable frustration: admiration for a younger generation set to meet major opponents, and frustration that his own extensive India career did not include a similar challenge. His message, however, remains clear. The present squad has its moment, and he believes its young players should seize it.