Sunil Chhetri, the long-serving captain of the Indian men’s football team, announced on Thursday that he will retire from international football next month. Chhetri said that the World Cup qualifying game against Kuwait on June 6, in Kolkata, would be his last in Indian colours.

It’s only fitting that Chhetri plays his final game for the national team in the city where he began his professional football career. The 39-year-old made his debut for the senior team in 2005 and goes down as India’s most-capped player with 150 appearances. He is also India’s leading goal-scorer of all-time with 94 international goals, which ranks him third to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the most international goals among active footballers.

Speaking on his decision to retire, Chhetri said, “The feeling that I recollect in the last 19 years is a very nice combination between duty pressure and immense joy. I never thought, individually, these are the many games that I have played for the country and this is what I have done good or bad. But now I did it. These last one and a half, two months, I did it. It was very strange. I did it because probably I was going towards the decision that this game, this next game is going to be my last.”

“Will I be sad after this? Of course. Do I feel sad sometimes every day because of this? Yes. Do I feel like I’ll miss the training…that these 20 days of training and I’ll all be gone? Yes. It took time because the kid inside me never wants to stop if given a chance to play for his country. I practically live a dream, but nothing comes close to playing for a country. So the kid kept fighting and probably even in future will keep fighting inside. I think the sensible, matured player inside knew this is it. But it wasn’t easy.”

Chhetri’s final match against Kuwait is a must-win for India to remain in contention for a berth in Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. India are currently ranked second in Group A with four points from four matches and will travel to Qatar for their final group stage match. The top two teams in the group will progress.

Fully aware of the pressure, Chhetri says, for once, he feels none of it. “Every training that I do with the national team now, and I can say it because my name has come in the camp, every training that I do with the national team, I just want to enjoy it. I can feel that I don’t feel the pressure, wherein this game demands pressure against Kuwait. We need the three points to qualify for the third round. It’s hugely important for us. But in a very strange and nice way, I don’t feel the pressure because I know these 15-20 days of training with the national team and the match against Kuwait is the last. I’m quite certain that I’m just going to go there and enjoy and give whatever that I’ve got.”