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150 caps, 94 goals and 11 trophies. A decorated career that is celebrated by the fans of the beautiful game across the world.
June 12, 2005 was the date the footballing landscape of India changed forever.
Sunil Chhetri stepped onto the pitch at Quetta against Pakistan in an international friendly. He scored the only Indian goal in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Born in Secunderabad, Chhetri started his playing career with Mohun Bagan in 2002. A promising player, he did not take long to rise through the India U20 and U23 ranks, scoring four goals in the nine appearances he made.
Indian National Team
Chhetri’s competitive debut for India came after a two-year wait in 2007 at the Nehru Cup against Cambodia, where he thumped two goals in a 6-0 victory. They eventually went on to win the competition, defeating Syria in a historic title win. Chhetri scored four goals and was the second-highest goalscorer of the tournament.
He overtook Baichung Bhutia as the highest goalscorer for India in his 87th appearance, netting his 49th career goal vs Nepal at the 2015 SAFF championship in a 4-1 victory.
He has been India’s captain since 2012, proving his prowess as a forward, scoring in his 50th, 75th, 100th, 125th, and now his 150th game.
International Greatness
In 2019, Chhetri entered the list of top 10 international goalscorers of all time, cementing his status as an all-time great in football folklore worldwide. He is behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the active goalscorers list and fourth overall with 94 goals. He is also Asia’s highest active goalscorer and a seven-time AIFF best player recipient.
His service to the nation was recognized in 2019 when he was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, and again in 2021 when he was given the Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting award, making him the first footballer to do so.
He is indeed India’s footballing royalty.
