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Indian men’s hockey team’s legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh ended his international career with a bronze medal after the Men in Blues defeated Spain 2-1 in the bronze medal match at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics on Thursday.
Sreejesh, celebrated as one of the finest goalkeepers of his era, has long anchored India’s defence. In Paris, his crucial saves were instrumental in securing another bronze for the team. With more than 328 international caps, Sreejesh has been a vital and inspiring presence, consistently offering stability to the Indian squad.
Netizens took to social media to pay tributes to the four-time Olympian for winning India’s second consecutive Olympic medal in hockey. One fan wrote:
“GOT style la solnum na Sreejesh was the HODOR of Team India. He held the door so many times for the nation. Time in & time out, for 20 overs. The man now retires on a high with a Olympics Bronze! A veteran with 336 matches played for 🇮🇳 Thank you, Sreejesh Chetta!”
“Thank God for Sreejesh,” one fan posted on X. “Glad we could give him a fitting farewell.”
One fan compared the Indian goalkeeper to legendary hockey captain Major Dhyan Chand, writing on X:
“If you have never watched Maj Dhyanchand, now you have the pleasure to watch #Sreejesh the GOAT.🐐”
“Perfect retirement, PR sreejesh you hero,” another post read.
“If they ever tell my story let them say that I saw Indian hockey win 2 back to back Olympic bronze in front of my own eyes. Let them say I lived in the time of Sreejesh, The Great Wall of India. Let them say I lived in the time of fearless Team India 🇮🇳,” one fan wrote.
“Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh, The Wall of Indian Hockey,” one post read.
PR Sreejesh ends national team career with consecutive Olympic medals
PR Sreejesh, 36, who has been one of the best goalkeepers to come out of the Indian hockey ecosystem, has been a mainstay between the sticks for India for almost 18 years now.
The goalkeeper played a crucial role as India ended its 41 years of wait for an Olympic medal in hockey, as Harmanpreet and company won a bronze medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Now in Paris 2024, PR Sreejesh has been equally under the spotlight with his performances, even more so since he had announced his international retirement after the end of the Olympic Games.
However, he will now be able to call himself a two-time Olympic bronze medalist as he draws a curtain on his two-decade-long international career for India.
