Here's how Sunil Chhetri is challenging the legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
For years now we have had the absolute pleasure of being able to witness two of the finest footballers of all time playing at the same time. Competing head to head for LaLiga titles, Champions League crowns and obliterating records along the way, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi do appear to be in a league of their own more often than not.
In fact, after Kaka won the 2007 Ballon d'Or there have only been two winners of the honour- Ronaldo and Messi. These two are imperious, untouched in their fields and will be looked back on as two of the greatest players to have ever lived.
So how do we then stumble across the name of Sunil Chhetri? Well, unsurprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the top active international football goalscorer at present. Ronaldo has an impressive 154 caps for Portugal with 85 goals scored. Lionel Messi has 128 caps for Argentina and 65 goals scored. This is where Chhetri comes into the picture.
Sunil Chhetri is actually the joint second highest active international goalscorer, tied with Messi on 65 goals for India in 105 caps. This is quite the achievement for a player who is not exactly a household name in Europe or South America, however, his success for the Indian national team is unprecedented both in terms of caps and goals.
Sunil Chhetri was born in August 1984 into a footballing family. His father played for the Indian Army's team and his mother played for the Nepal women's national team along with her twin sisters. This saw Chhetri begin playing football from a young age, though no one could have foreseen the impact he would have on football in India. He started his professional career at Mohun Bagan FC before fruitful spells at JCT FC, East Bengal Club and Dempo SC.
His performances in the I-League were now beginning to attract interest from outside of India with European sides including Celtic interested in securing his services, with English club Queens Park Rangers also heavily linked with Chhetri. However, he got his big break when Major League Soccer club Kansas City Wizards took him on.
This was seen as a great opportunity for him, as the MLS would provide a great platform for him to showcase his ability outside of his home country. Unfortunately, he only made 2 appearances for the Wizards- 45 minutes in a cup game and one substitute appearance against Manchester United in a friendly. Before long, Chhetri was back in India with Chirag United where he was once again amongst the goals.
After more solid goalscoring form in the I-League, another big move came his way. Sporting Clube de Portugal offered him a 2-year contract and he immediately went to play with their reserve team, Sporting B. Once again, this was a great chance for Chhetri now to make a name for himself in Europe and really prove his worth at club level.
Opportunities were limited for him in Portugal, with only 3 appearances to his name he was soon loaned back to India joining Churchill Brothers FC to gain more playing time. Once this relatively successful loan spell ended, Sporting CP released Chhetri and he joined Bengaluru FC.
It was here that Chhetri really found his home. In all competitions for Bengaluru, he has scored 73 goals in 145 game s- a mightily impressive record scoring a goal every other game on average. Not knocked back by his struggles overseas, Chhetri is a testament to hard work, mental strength and the ability to overcome disappointment. A lesser player would have been dejected after the spells in the US and Portugal but Chhetri has bounced back and continued to perform.
A proven goalscorer in his native India, his Indian Super League form has been superb in recent years and this form has so often been on show for the national team. It is here where he is incredibly rubbing shoulders with Ronaldo and Messi, and where the stats speak for themselves.
Sunil Chhetri made his international debut for India on 12th June 2005 against rivals Pakistan in an away fixture. Doing what he does best, he gave India the lead with a debut goal before Pakistan levelled the game in a 1-1 draw. This would turn out to be the first of many goals he scored for the national team and before long he was seen as the 'poster boy' of Indian football before long.
He has had some incredible goalscoring years for India, take 2008 for example where he scored 8 goals in 13 games for the national side. In 2011 he actually went into double figures with 11 goals in 17 games which is some feat in itself.
What is even more remarkable is that Sunil Chhetri is showing no signs of slowing down. He has scored 4 goals in 5 games for Bengaluru in the early stages of this season and in this calendar year has 8 goals in 5 games for India which is an exceptional strike rate in itself. At the age of 34, you may expect a striker to start slowing down but Chhetri is playing some of his best football which is a real worry for defences the world over.
Whilst Chhetri may be playing against teams of a low standard on the international stage, his achievements cannot be discounted in any way. Goals against the likes of Myanmar, Macau and Guam may not be the most glamorous yet they all count the same at the final whistle.
Interestingly, Lionel Messi's international future appears to be hanging in the balance at present yet Chhetri is still banging goals in for India. With this in mind, could he potentially eclipse the Argentine in terms of international goals when all is said and done? It is a very real possibility and just highlights what a wonderful player fans of the India national team have had the pleasure of watching over the last 10 years.
What are your fondest memories of Sunil Chhetri? Does he go down as the greatest player in Indian football history? And do you think he will finish his international career with more goals than the great Lionel Messi? Let me know in the comments.