Sreejesh retirement: Veteran goalie posts 'this is not the end' emotional message
"As I stand between the posts for the final time, my heart swells with gratitude and pride," he said
Indian hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh set to retire at Paris Olympics 2024. File photo: X/@16Sreejesh
Veteran hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will play his last match for India today (August 8) in the Paris Olympics 2024 bronze medal tie against Spain. Ahead of the big game, he said he would be "forever a custodian of dreams".
In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, Sreejesh described his international career as "nothing short of extraordinary" and expressed his gratitude to the countrymen for believing in him.
The 36-year-old from Kerala will hope to end his illustrious 18-year-long career with a medal.
"As I stand between the posts for the final time, my heart swells with gratitude and pride. This journey, from a young boy with a dream to the man defending India's honour, has been nothing short of extraordinary," he wrote.
"Today, I play my last match for India. Every save, every dive, every roar of the crowd will forever echo in my soul. Thank you, India, for believing in me, for standing by me. This is not the end, but the beginning of cherished memories."
"Forever a custodian of dreams," he added.
Sreejesh had announced his retirement plans ahead of his fourth appearance at the Olympics.
The veteran goalkeeper has been in good form as he produced some sensational saves in the tournament, including two in the quarterfinal shoot-out against Great Britain, to help India seal a second consecutive Olympic semifinal spot.
Sreejesh has joined legends like Dhanraj Pillay who have represented the Indian team four times at the Olympic Games.
Having made his debut at the 2010 World Cup, Sreejesh has been part of various memorable wins for India, which include bronze medal in Jakarta-Palembang, joint winning team of the Asian Champions Trophy in 2018, gold medal winning team of 2019 FIH Men's Series Finals in Bhubaneswar and Silver medal winning team at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
He was one of the main architects of India’s historic bronze medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He was instrumental in India’s third-place finish at the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021/22. Sreejesh was awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021 and is only the second sportsperson from India to win the award of World Games Athlete of the Year 2021. He has also won back-to-back FIH Goalkeeper of the Year awards in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Last year, he stood tall in India’s gold medal-winning campaign at the Asian Games that sealed the team’s berth for Paris 2024.