India recorded a famous 4-0 win over their arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening South Asian Football Federation Championship 2023 match on June 21. The legendary Indian forward Sunil Chhetri scored a sensational hat-trick in the historic game to take his international goals tally to 90. Chhetri surpassed the iconic Malaysian footballer Mokhtar Dahari's 89 goals record to become the fourth-highest leading goalscorer in world football.
Chhetri, 38, is now the leading goalscorer among active players in international football after Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina's Lionel Messi. Ronaldo is currently playing in the Saudi Professional League with Al-Nassr club and has scored 123 international goals so far, including five goals in the ongoing UEFA Euro Qualifiers 2024.
A day before Chhetri's hat-trick, Ronaldo also became the first-ever footballer to make 200 international appearances. Ronaldo has been in great form at both club and national levels and is likely to add considerable goals to his tally in the future. Chhetri is unlikely to reach Ronaldo's numbers in international football as breaking the current 33-goal difference seems an unrealistic target at the age of 38.
However, Chhetri has a chance to reach the third position, which is currently acquired by the Argentine skipper Lionel Messi. The former Barcelona and PSG legend has scored 103 goals in 175 international matches and recently won the FIFA World Cup 2022. Considering Chhetri's current form and India's upcoming games at SAFF Cup 2023 and the next year's Asia Cup, Chhetri is likely to surpass Messi or close the gap in goalscoring chart.
The former Iranian captain and legendary striker Ali Daei currently occupies the second spot with 109 goals in just 148 matches. Chhetri needs 19 goals to surpass Daei's record to become the all-time leading goalscorer in Asia.
After Chhetri's hat-trick at Kanteerava Stadium, Udanta Singh added another goal for India to add more misery to the visiting side. Indian team next faces neighbors Nepal in their next game at SAFF Cup 2023 in Bengaluru on June 24. Nepal lost 1-3 against Kuwait in their first game and currently sit in the no.3 position in the Group A table.
