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Updated June 15th, 2022 at 14:08 IST

Sunil Chhetri equals Ferenc Puskas' record; Only 2 goals behind Lionel Messi's goal tally

Sunil Chhetri equaled legendary footballer Ferenc Puskas's record international tally of goals after scoring a goal during India's 4-0 win vs Hong Kong.

Sunil Chhetri
Image: @IndianFootball/@Argentina/Twitter | Image:self
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Indian football team skipper Sunil Chhetri struck in the 45th minute of India vs Hong Kong, 2023 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers game at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday, as the Blue Tigers went on to win the match by 4-0. By scoring the goal, Chhetri equaled late Hungarian football legend Ferenc Puskas’ record of scoring 84 goals in international football and became the fifth-highest international goal scorer of all time. He now stands just two goals behind Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi’s tally of scoring 86 goals. 

The 37-year-old is also the third-highest goal scorer in international football among the active players, a list that is led by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese is the world record goal scorer, as he has scored 117 goals in 188 goals for the national team. Meanwhile, the Team India skipper has represented the team in a total of 129 games in his career so far. On the other hand, Messi has played 162 goals for Argentina now. 

Coming back to the match, Chhetri’s goal was the second of the night for India, as Anwar Ali earlier opened the score sheet in the 2 minutes. Manvir Singh and Ishan Pandiya contributed with two goals at 85’ and 90+3’ and helped India secure a 4-0 win in their final Group D Qualifiers game for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Hours prior to the match, India sealed qualification for the prestigious tournament after Palestine defeated the Philippines by 4-0 in the final Group B match. 

Sunil Chhetri shares his thoughts on his goal tally

In a video shared by the team on Twitter, Sunil can be seen sharing his feelings about winning the historic game. “It feels good man, we knew we qualified before the game but to do it this way infront of all these people, satisfying feeling. I don’t use the word pretty often but really satisfying,” Chhetri said pointing at the Salt Lake crowd. 

On being asked about his tally of goals, the Indian captain said, “I genuinely don’t care about records and personal milestones. I just want to enjoy myself as I move on to the last moments – just go out and enjoy on the pitch.” This is the first time in history that India has qualified for back-to-back editions of the AFC Asia Cup. The 2023 edition will feature 24 teams going against each other from June 16 to July 16, next year.

(Image: @IndianFootball/@Argentina/Twitter)

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Published June 15th, 2022 at 14:06 IST

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