Sunil Chhetri overtook Lionel Messi on Monday. He became the second-highest international goalscorer among active men’s players. The Indian team clinched a much-needed win. It came against Bangladesh in the World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign. Chhetri was the leading striker of the match and scored two goals against Bangladesh. As a result, the 36-year-old is now placed 11th on the all-time goal-scorers list in men’s international football.
The star player, who helped India register their first win in six years in World Cup qualifiers, is only behind Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (103) in the active international goal-scorer list.
Chhetri leads Barcelona star, Messi, by two goals. Likewise, he sits a place above Ali Mabkhout of the UAE. Mabkhout is third on the list with 73 strikes to his name.
Messi scored his 72nd international goal in a World Cup qualifier against Chile. While Mabkhout added to his tally against Malaysia, also last week.
After scoring two goals against Bangladesh, Chhetri said, To win 3 points, win a full game is sweet! I’m really happy that we also kept a clean sheet.”
AIFF president Praful Patel said, “Our @IndianFootball skipper Sunil Chhetri adds another feather to his illustrious cap as he overtook Lionel Messi to become the second-highest active international goalscorer with 74 goals.”
