Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri continues to be the light in shining armour for the Blue Tigers. The iconic striker bagged his 84th international goal for the country, going level with a world footballing great, Ferenc Puskas.
For the unversed, Chhetri is among the highest goalscorers in international football. In fact, as far as the list of active footballers goes, the Indian forward is only behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Chhetri bagged the fourth goal of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against Hong Kong as India emerged triumphant 4-0. The victory also helped the Indian team boost ther AFC Asian Cup qualification hopes, and the progression was sealed after Palestine’s win over the Philippines.
In terms of footballers with the most number of goals, Chhetri slots in at joint-5th position, level with Puskas. List of footballers with most goals in the international arena:
| Sr.No | Name | Country | Goals |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 117* |
| 2 | Ali Daei | Iran | 109 |
| 3 | Mokhtar Dahari | Malaysia | 89 |
| 4 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 86* |
| 5 | Sunil Chhetri | India | 84* |
| 6 | Ferenc Puskas | Hungary | 84 |
| 7 | Ali Mobkhout | UAE | 80* |
| 8 | Godfrey Chitalu | Zambia | 79 |
| 9 | Hussein Saeed | Iraq | 78 |
| 10 | Pele | Brazil | 77 |
After India’s thumping 4-0 win, Chhetri said that he doesn’t care much about records but just wants to enjoy himself in this final phase of his career.
“Feels Good, but you have to carry on. I genuinely don’t care about records. I just want to enjoy myself as I move on to the last moments – just go out and enjoy on the pitch,” he had said after the match.
Chhetri was denied a second goal against Hong Kong six minutes after the restart when Hong Kong goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai pushed his shot wide following a mistake by Fung Hing-wa.
While there’s no denying that Chhetri is in the twilight of his career, the entire Indian football fanbase is praying for the iconic striker’s good health and fitness so that they can see him don the blue jersey for as long as possible.
