(Football news) Sunil Chhetri last night scored two goals against Maldives to take India to the SAFF Cup final. In doing so he went past Pele’s historical mark of 77 goals to become the 6th highest international goalscorer ever. Currently he's the third highest active goal scorer behind the great Lionel Messi (80) and Cristiano Ronaldo (115) and Chhetri can overtake Messi if he scores in the SAFF Cup final against Nepal on Saturday.
The captain, leader and legend himself Sunil Chhetri has managed to take India forward for the last ten years breaking all possible records in Indian football. Chhetri is not only India’s top scorer but he has also made 124 appearances for the Blue Tigers shattering all the records previously held by the great IM Vijayan and Bhaichung Bhutia, so much so that if you combine their goal tally it reaches to 58 goals compared to Chhetri’s 79. Sunil Chhetri has now scored in nine of the ten victories in all competitions, for Indian football fans the astonishing consistency is great to watch but the answer after Chhetri still leaves a big question mark for Indian football. His consistency and his fitness level at the age 37 is quite amazing and it doesn’t look like he is going to stop anytime soon.
Sunil Chhetri over the years has been the cornerstone for Indian football, a living breathing legend who time and time again proves us that he's not only a generational talent but an exceptional football player as well. Sunil has the capabilities to play in Europe but he preferred playing in India as he wouldn’t be able to play for his countries if he played club matches. His dedication and leadership will never be matched and it will take Indian football generations to find a talent like him. Although we can’t compare his goal scoring pedigree with the likes of Ronaldo and Messi, he has been consistently scoring goals ever since made his debut in March 2004 which is quite a feat in itself.
The current Indian captain has a higher goals to game ratio than anyone else in India football. He averages 0.63 goals per game compared to Vijayan’s 0.46 goals per game and Bhutia’s tally of 0.33. In fact, among Indian footballers who have played more than 10 times for India, only Neville D’Souza has a better goals per game ratio than Chhetri but he only played 11 times which doesn’t do full justice to his staggering feat. The consistency with which he has kept on should be an inspiration for the up and coming Indian footballers.
Also read: Chhetri double strike helps India beat Maldives 3-1 and enter SAFF C'ships final
Chhetri on drawing comparisons with Ronaldo said, “I listen to these comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo, I'll be happy and then forget it in five seconds. Because there is no comparison (with Ronaldo). I know it. The joy and love that I get from playing football are unbelievable. It is such a feeling that I want to give everything that I have got. I just enjoy it, I am living a life that I never even dreamt of. I don't let even a day go by wherein I don't give 100 percent. I am where everyone wants to be. I don't (feel) too much pressure with that."
"Messi, Ronaldo comparison: There are no comparisons. People who understand football, they know there is no comparison as far as the players are concerned. There are thousands of players who are better than me in the world and all of them are fans of Messi. So now you know the comparison"
