Sunil Chhetri inches close to Lionel Messi in top goal scorer list in international football

Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri has been the savior for his country for more than a decade now, he scored his fourth goal in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers which levels the Indian legend to Hungary's Ferenc Puskas in the international goal tally of 84 goals. This leaves Chhetri behind two iconic names in the world of football, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the all-time active top scorers list.

In the list of most goals scored in international football, Sunil Chhetri has joined Ferenc Puskas on the fifth spot with 84 goals for India. Moreover, Chhetri is third in the active goal-scorers list behind Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (117) and Argentina's Lionel Messi (86). 

The 37-year-old Indian captain bagged his 84th goal for the Blue Tigers in spectacular fashion after defender Suresh was fouled outside the box and India were presented with a free-kick. Jeakson Singh passed the ball inside the box and Chhetri thrashed it home effortlessly while the Hong Kong goalkeeper was just watching the whole scene.

After the match Sunil Chhetri said, "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."

#SunilChhetri #backtheblues#indianfootball
King has equalized puskas 84 and counting..... pic.twitter.com/Ba6OH0EIkv — luv ak (@akshaykokare9) June 14, 2022

Coming to the clash against Hong Kong, India completed their AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers 2023 campaign in style at the VYBK Stadium in Kolkata as they bagged a massive 4-0 win over Hong Kong in the final game of Group D. Anwar Ali, Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh and Ishan Pandita were the goalscorers for the Blue Tigers. It was the third consecutive win for Team India in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. Earlier, they had defeated Cambodia and Afghanistan.

(With ANI inputs)