Sunil Chhetri Scores his 84th International Goal: A Deep Dive into His Record-breaking Tally

Sunil Chhetri scored a goal against Hong Kong as the hosts thrashed their opponents 4-0 in the AFC Asian Cup qualifier on Tuesday. And with a goal against Hong Kong, the Indian skipper became the third-active highest goalscorer in the world currently. Overall, Chhetri is joint-fifth along with former Hungary footballer Ferenc Puskas. Portuguese great Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list with 117 goals in his kitty.

More importantly, Chhetri’s strike on Tuesday was his first goal against Hong Kong. But Chhetri is not bothered about the records. The skipper just wants to play and enjoy on the field.

“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 has scored the most goals in international football against Nepal and Maldives. He has eight goals after playing six matches against the Maldives. And against Nepal, Chhetri netted eight goals after featuring in 12 matches. The Indian skipper found the back of the net six times against Bangladesh and Chinese Taipei. The 37-year-old striker scored five goals against Cambodia and Tajikistan.

Chhetri played just two matches against Kenya but managed to score four goals against the African nation. But against Afghanistan, he needed seven matches to earn four goals. The Indian skipper scored three goals against Kyrgyz Republic, Myanmar, Bhutan, Vietnam and Guam. Chhetri has two goals to his name against countries like- Syria, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman and Thailand.

Chhetri bagged one goal against Sri Lanka, Bahrain, South Korea, Pakistan, Cameroon, Philippines, Palestine, Puerto Rico, Macao, New Zealand, Curacao and Hong Kong.

India did clinch a convincing 4-0 win against Hong Kong but their qualification for the AFC Asian Cup Finals was sealed before the match even started. Palestine’s victory against the Philippines in the Group B fixture earlier on Tuesday helped the Blue Tigers in securing their berth in the Asian Cup. And for the first time, India qualified for the AFC Asian Cup in back-to-back editions. Previously, India had qualified for AFC Asian Cups in 2019, 2011, 1984, and 1964.

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