Chhetri breaks Pele's international goal tally; How behind is he from Messi and Ronaldo?

Indian football skipper Sunil Chhetri on Wednesday went past legendary Brazilian footballer Pele’s tally of international goals. Chhetri scored two goals during the India vs Maldives match of the ongoing 2021 SAFF Championship and helped India clinch the victory by 3-1. Chhetri now has a total of 79 international goals for India, which is two goals more than Pele’s 77 international goals for Brazil. By surpassing Pele, Chhetri became the joint 6th highest goalscorer in the world. He has an equal no. of goals with Zambia’s former footballer, Godfrey Chitalu.

How far behind is Sunil Chhetri from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?

By scoring the goals at 62nd and 71st minute of India's match against the Maldives, the Indian skipper also became the third-highest goal scorer among the active footballers. He is now one goal shy of Argentine legend Lionel Messi’s tally of 80 goals, whereas Cristiano Ronaldo leads the chart with a total of 115 goals for Portugal. Chhetri achieved the feat in his 123rd International appearance for India during the 2021 SAFF Championships on October 13 at the Maldives National Football Stadium.

India defeated Maldives 3-1 to reach the 2021 SAFF Championships finale

During the India vs Maldives match on Wednesday, Indian forward Manveer Singh opened the scoresheet of the match with a goal at the 33rd minute of the game. The Maldives equalized the score courtesy of the Ali Ashfaq penalty goal in the 45th minute. However, India regained the lead of the match after Chhetri’s first goal in the 62nd minute. Chhetri scored again within ten minutes taking the game further away from the hosts and ultimately defeating them by 3-1. By winning the match, India sealed their berth for the 2021 SAFF Championships Finale against Nepal which is scheduled to be played on October 16. India face Nepal for the second time in the tournament, after winning their first clash 1-0 that took place on October 10. The Indian skipper scored a goal at the 82nd minute of the match and handed India the win. India won two matches in the tournament and ended the other two matches in draws finishing the 2021 SAFF Championships points table in first place with eight points to their name.

Image: Twitter- @IndianFootball/AP