Sunil Chhetri is currently the fourth highest active goalscorer in international football…
Sunil Chhetri scored his 75th international goal on Sunday as India beat Nepal 2-1 in the second international friendly match at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Chhetri’s is currently the fourth-highest goalscorer in the world among active goalscorers. Cristiano Ronaldo is the top international goalscorer in men’s football with 111 goals followed by Lionel Messi and UAE’s Ali Mabkhout (76 goals each).
As the 36-year-old Indian star scripted yet another record in his illustrious and long international career, we scrutinise Chhetri’s 75 international goals.
The most number of goals, the forward has scored against are Chinese Taipei, Maldives and Nepal(six goals each). His best conversion rate is against Vietnam as he scored a hat-trick in the only game he played against them.
The toughest opponent the Indian striker has scored a goal against is Asian giants South Korea against whom he had scored in the Asian Cup 2011 in Doha. Chhetri’s goal had put the Blue Tigers in front but South Korea eventually won 4-1.
Distribution of Sunil Chhetri’s 75 international goals
| Opponent | Goals | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese Taipei | 6 | 5 |
| Maldives | 6 | 5 |
| Nepal | 6 | 10 |
| Bangladesh | 5 | 4 |
| Tajikistan | 5 | 5 |
| Kenya | 4 | 2 |
| Cambodia | 3 | 2 |
| Kyrgyz Republic | 3 | 3 |
| Myanmar | 3 | 4 |
| Bhutan | 3 | 2 |
| Afghanistan | 3 | 6 |
| Vietnam | 3 | 1 |
| Guam | 3 | 3 |
| Syria | 2 | 6 |
| Lebanon | 2 | 3 |
| Malaysia | 2 | 3 |
| Oman | 2 | 5 |
| Thailand | 2 | 3 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 3 |
| Bahrain | 1 | 2 |
| South Korea | 1 | 1 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 6 |
| Cameroon | 1 | 1 |
| Philippines | 1 | 2 |
| Palestine | 1 | 2 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | 1 |
| Macao | 1 | 2 |
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 |
| Curacao | 1 | 1 |
| DPR Korea | 1 | 2 |
When is India playing in the SAFF Championship?
The 2021 SAFF Championship will be held in Maldives from October 1 to 16. This will be the 13th edition of the biennial international men’s football championship. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the tournament was postponed from 2020 to September 2021, which was again rescheduled to October, after Bangladesh withdrew from hosting it.
India are the record champions in SAFF Championship as they have won it eight times. In this edition, the Blue Tigers will be joined by Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and host Maldives. However, Bhutan has refrained from participating due to travel restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, whereas Pakistan FA remains suspended by FIFA since April 7, 2021, due to third-party interference.
India will be opening their SAFF Championship campaign against neighbours Bangladesh on October 4. The final of the competition will feature the top two teams after the initial round-robin format and is slated to be played on October 16, 2021.
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