Sunil Chhetri might not be a very famous player but he is on the same level internationally with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The Indian professional footballer is ranked third in the men’s active international goalscorer charts in ‘Captain Fantastic’ on FIFA+.
We are very much in the know of the incredible feats that Ronaldo and Messi have achieved in the last two decades, but that’s not all.
Recall we reported that Lionel Messi recently topped Cristiano Ronaldo as the player with most Guinness World Records.
Chhetri, the long serving Indian captain, stands out despite coming from a country that don’t dominate the footballing world.
Sunil Chhetri, 38, has led his country to a modest Inter-continental Cup and SAFF Championship over the last three weeks.
The Indian International is also the current third highest goalscorer of international goals amongst active footballers in the world.
When looking at the all time list of goalscorers, Chhetri is number 4 with Iranian legend Ali Daei ahead of him with 109 goals from 148 matches.
Sunil Chhetri stands out because unlike others, he is not from a country with an impeccable football lineage.
Other top players on the list include Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas who holds the sixth position on the list of all time highest goalscorer in international football with 84 goals; and Robert Lewandowski of Poland is ranked eighth with 79 goals.
Now take a look at such credential of these footballers and compare it with the country that Sunil Chhetri is from – you would see the awesomeness.
The last time an Indian team had a podium finish in a major championship was a bronze and it is more than 50 years ago, in the 1970 Asian Games.
While their Fifa ranking has hovered around the 100-mark for as long as one can remember.
Sunil Chhetri has been recognized by FIFA following his achievements and made a documentary on him called Captain Fantastic last year, which is available on the Fifa+ channel.
Every conversation with Chhetri will always boil down to him being in the top race with the greatest duo football has ever seen: Ronaldo and Messi.
Sunil Chhetri used Bob Houghton’s words to make an example as he talks from his perspective, he said: “You cannot have the skills of Ronaldo or score goals like him, but nobody can stop you from working hard as him.”
Sunil Chhetri
Sunil Chhetri is an Indian footballer who was born on 3rd August, 1984 and plays as a forward and captains both Indian Super League club Bengaluru and the India national team.
Chhetri is known for his link-up play, goal scoring abilities, and leadership.
Aside that, the Indian is also the third-highest international goalscorer among active players, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, fourth overall.
Sunil Chhetri is also the most-capped player and all-time top goalscorer of the India national team.
The attacker is also widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian footballers of all time for his contributions to the country.
Personal life
Sunil Chhetri was born to K. B. Chhetri, an officer in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers of the Indian Army, and Sushila Chhetri in Secunderabad, India.
His father played football for the Indian Army football team while his mother and her twin sister played for the Nepal women’s national team, he started playing at a young age.
He tied the knot with his long-time lover Onam Bhattacharya who is the daughter of former Indian international and Mohun Bagan player Subrata Bhattacharya.
Sunil Chhetri was named an ‘Asian Icon’ by AFC on his 34th birthday in 2018 after which he signed a 3-year deal with global sports giant Puma starting from 2020.
Honors
Dempo
- I-League: 2009–10
Churchill Brothers
- I-League: 2012–13
Bengaluru
- Indian Super League: 2018–19
- I-League: 2013–14, 2015–16
- Federation Cup: 2014–15, 2016–17
- Super Cup: 2018
- Durand Cup: 2022
India
- AFC Challenge Cup: 2008
- SAFF Championship: 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023
- Nehru Cup: 2007, 2009, 2012
- Intercontinental Cup: 2018, 2023
- Tri-Nation Series: 2023
India U-20
- South Asian Games: Silver medal in 2004
Sunil Chhetri Individual Awards
- AIFF Player of the Year (7): 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018–19, 2021–22
- FPAI Indian Player of the Year (3): 2009, 2018, 2019
- SAFF Championship Player of the Tournament (4): 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023
- SAFF Championship Top Scorer (3): 2011, 2021, 2023
- Hero of the Intercontinental Cup: 2018
- Hero of the I-League: 2016–17
- I-League Golden Boot: 2013–14
- Hero of the Indian Super League: 2017–18
- 2018 Indian Super Cup: Golden Boot
- Indian Sports Honours: Sportsman of the Year 2019 (team sports)
- Football Ratna Award (first recipient) by Football Delhi: 18 February 2019
- The Times of India TOISA Best Footballer: 2021
Other
- Leading up to the 2022 World Cup, FIFA honored Chhetri on the occasion by releasing three documentary episodes about his life and career for becoming the third-highest male international goal scorer in the world among active players.
- AFC Asian Icon: 3 August 2018
- 2019 AFC Asian Cup: Favourite Player (voted by fans)
- AFC Cup All-time XI (The Strikers): Inductee (2021)
Awards and accolades
- 2011 − Arjuna Award, by the Government of India in recognition of his outstanding achievement in sports.
- 2019 − Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award.
- 2021 – Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting honor of India.
Sunil Chhetri Records
- First Indian player to have played in three different continents
- Most appearances for India (142)
- Most international goals by an Indian (92)
- Most hat-tricks for India (4)
- Most goals for India in AFC Competitions (19)
- All-time top goal scorer in SAFF Championship (23)
- Most number of matches played by an Indian in AFC Cup (40)
- Most number of goals scored by an Indian in AFC Cup (19)
- Most goals by an Indian in first-tier Indian football leagues (143)
- First Indian player to score a hat-trick in Indian Super League
- Most hat-tricks by an Indian in Indian Super League (2)
- Top Indian goal scorer in Indian Super League (56)
- Top Indian goal scorer in I-League (94)
- All-time top goal scorer in the Super Cup (9)
- Most number of matches played for Bengaluru (259)
- Most number of goals scored for Bengaluru (115)
- The first footballer to receive Khel Ratna Award
- AIFF Player of the Year for a record seven times
