Xtra Time Web Desk: Indian National Football Team captain Sunil Chhetri has reached the peak of Indian football having enlisted himself as one of the all-time top active goal scorers on the international stage, only behind Cristiano Ronaldo (128 goals), Ali Daei (109 goals) and Lionel Messi (106 goals).
Preparing to battle Afghanistan at home in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, the 39-year-old has already amassed 93 international goals to his name.
Having made his debut back in 2005, Chhetri has won 11 trophies with the Blue Tigers.
Captain Fantastic shared insights into his glorious career reminiscing his journey so far.
With the fixture in Guwahati set to be his 150th appearance donning the national team jersey, Chhetri is on the verge of becoming only the 41st player in football history to record such a feat.
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“When I started, it never occurred to me that I could play for the country one day. In fact, even a few days back, I was not aware that I was on the verge of such a record. When you pause and think about it, it’s an unbelievable feat. I’m very fortunate, extremely thankful, and highly privileged to be in this state. I think I’m the only one to play 150 games for the country in India. I’m really fortunate that I got such an opportunity,” stated Chhetri.
He added, “When I was playing the Subroto Cup in Delhi, I didn’t even think or dream that I would play for the country.”
The Telangana-born player has bagged a goal in each of his 25th, 50th, 75th, 100th, and 125th matches representing the country, giving hope that the talisman might find a winner for India in his 150th match as well.
But, Chhetri claims he was unaware of having registered such a stat and doesn’t want to think about these statistics when on the field.
“I wasn’t aware of this stat. If you ask any player, they will not be thinking about such stats. Even if they know some stats, the moment the kick-off whistle goes, they will forget about it,” he shared.
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On being asked about his most memorable and difficult game so far on the international stage, Chhetri recalled, “For a very strange reason, there was an AFC Challenge Cup after the 2011 AFC Asian Cup that we played in Myanmar. That was the first step towards qualification for the Asian Cup. We played horribly and ended up losing a match that we should not have lost. That was one of the big reasons why we missed out in 2015.”
“I think the Myanmar game, in particular, we didn’t turn up at all. And what was at stake is exactly why I think it was one of the most difficult games. Not because of the opponents, not for any other reason, but we later realised what an opportunity we missed, if we had carried on, we could have played the Asian Cup in 2015,” he continued.
The veteran hopes his landmark 150 appearances on the international stage against Afghanistan will inspire the youngsters to do even better.