Best India Football Moments Featuring Sunil Chhetri

When you talk about football, especially the Indian football league, you can't skip the name of India's legendary footballer. Indian Football captain Sunil Chhetri is known as the heart and soul of Indian football for keeping the sport in the limelight in India despite being overshadowed by Cricket. Chhetri has been right at the top of Indian football for over 20 years now. Sunil Chhetri started his illustrious career in the National Football League (NFL) and has seen the evolution of the Indian Super League (ISL). He's been the man to watch out for in the Indian football team, repeatedly leading them to many glories and achievements in the last few decades. In this blog, we take a look at the best India Football moments featuring Sunil Chhetri.

Best India Football Moments Featuring Sunil Chhetri

1. Sunil Chhetri honoured with the Khel Ratna award in 2021

The India Football captain Sunil Chhetri was one of the individuals to receive the prestigious Khel Ratna award from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Chhetri was awarded for his consistent performances for India from 2017-21, helping them win many games and adding to his goal tally. Sunil Chhetri remains the only footballer to be honoured with the Khel Ratna award since it started in 1991. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna is the country's highest sporting honour. It is awarded to sportspersons who have displayed "spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years" at the international level. Sunil Chhetri is currently the joint second-highest active goalscorer in International football, along with one of the best Football World Cup players, Lionel Messi.

2. Sunil Chhetri is the 3rd highest goal-scorer in international matches

Indian Football captain Sunil Chhetri surpassed Lionel Messi in 2019 to become the second-highest active international goal scorer, behind Cristiano Ronaldo. With 94 goals to his name in 150 international appearances, Sunil Chhetri is currently the third-highest goalscorer among active players in international matches, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who are also part of the top 7 best football players in 2024. The Indian captain is part of the unique record of players to score the highest goals in football. Ali Dae’s tally of 109 goals is well within reach. Sunil Chhetri needs 6 goals to reach the 100-goal mark. He is the highest goal scorer by an Indian. Click on to learn more about top Sunil Chhetri Football records and his 19-year career.

3. Sunil Chhetri is the highest-capped Indian player

'Captain Fantastic' Sunil Chhetri is the best football player in India. In a career over two decades, the centre-forward has won many individual awards and led India to many victories. Sunil Chhetri made his debut for the Indian Football team in 2005, scoring a goal against Pakistan on his debut. He’s been playing for the Blue Tigers for 18 years. In 2019, Sunil Chhetri broke the previous record held by Bhaichung Bhutia. He achieved a massive feat by setting a new record for the most appearances by a single player for the Indian Football team. Chhetri has been the backbone for India to take a solid lead at the top with goal-scoring ability. 'Skip' Sunil Chhetri remains one of the top Indian players in Football news and has made 150 international appearances for the Blue Tigers so far.

4. Sunil Chhetri is the top Indian goalscorer in the ISL

When you talk about football, especially the Indian football league, you can't skip the name of India's legendary footballer. Sunil Chhetri, who is one of the top five ISL players, has scored 61 goals and assisted 11 times in 155 appearances for Mumbai City FC and Bengaluru FC combined. Despite his old age, the Bengaluru FC captain is still playing at his peak. Chhetri has scored five goals in this ongoing 2023-24 season. In the 2018-19 season, Sunil Chhetri led Bengaluru FC to beat FC Goa to win their first-ever ISL title. Sunil Chhetri has scored 158 goals in 365 appearances in his career at the club level and is the top Indian goalscorer in the ISL.

5. FIFA released a documentary on Sunil Chhetri named ‘Captain Fantastic’

Indian Football captain Sunil Chhetri may not have played in a FIFA World Cup, but FIFA honoured his memorable career in a documentary released before the 2022 World Cup. FIFA paid tribute to Chhetri in a three-part documentary highlighting the career of the Indian football captain. FIFA acknowledged ‘Captain Fantastic’ Sunil Chhetri’s achievements on the field and his rise to greatness. Sunil Chhetri has scored 158 goals in 365 appearances in his career at the club level and is the top Indian goalscorer in the ISL. With 94 goals in 150 international appearances, Sunil Chhetri is currently the third-highest goal-scorer among active international players. Overall, Sunil Chhetri has already scored 252 goals in 515 appearances.