Sunil Chhetri-Led Indian Football Team Jump To 99th Spot In FIFA Rankings

Indian men's football team climbed a rank in the latest FIFA rankings, released on Thursday, to be placed in the 99th position. The Blue Tigers are unbeaten in 2023 and have picked up three trophies winning the Tri-Nation Cup, Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship in the calendar year. Sunil Chhetri and Co. are unbeaten in their last eleven matches, winning seven during the process.

Under head coach Igor Stimac, the national team seems to be picking up form at the right time with the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers scheduled to take place later this year and the AFC Asian in January 2024. The Indian team has achieved a double-digit ranking after five years and will hope to further climb the ladder in the coming months.

India will next be in action in September when they travel to Thailand to take part in the King’s Cup followed by a visit to Malaysia to participate in the Merdeka tournament before the World Cup qualifiers begin. The Blue Tigers will thus enter an action-packed and crucial stretch of months as they look to showcase their ability on the biggest stage in Asia.

India's ace footballer Sunil Chhetri has been the big reason behind India's rise in world football. He has won the AIFF Player of the Award six times. Not to forget, Chhetri is also the top goal-scorer for India in football. He has scored a total of 92 goals in 142 matches. Only three footballers are ahead of him in this list including Argentina legend Lionel Messi (103 goals), Iran's Al Daei (109 goals) and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (123 goals). Chhetri is also the second-most goal scorer in Asia. Not to forget, Chhetri is also the most capped India international, with a total of 142 caps. On being asked recently when has he decided to hang up his boots, Chhetri said that the day he runs out of fuel will be his last day on football ground.

With inputs from IANS