Sunil Chhetri finishes fourth behind Messi, Ronaldo, Daei among all-time international goal-scorers

Sunil Chhetri scored his 93rd international goal for India, against Malaysia in the semifinal of the Merdeka Cup 2023 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Malaysia on Friday.

Chhetri ranks fourth among the top scorers in international football. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K/The Hindu

Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri finished his international career, playing his final game against Kuwait in Kolkata on Thursday.

Chhetri, 39, ended his career as the fourth-highest goal scorer in international football behind legendary footballers, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ali Daei

The Indian captain trails FIFA World Cup winner Messi, who has scored 106 in 180 matches, and Ronaldo tops the list, having scored 128 goals from 206 appearances for Portugal.

Iran’s Daei is second in the list with 108 goals for his country.

HIGHEST GOALSCORERS OF ALL TIME IN INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL

Position	Player	Country	Goals	Apperances
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	128	206
2	Ali Daei	Iran	108	148
3	Lionel Messi	Argentina	106	180
4	Sunil Chhetri	India	93	143
5	Mokhtar Dahari	Malaysia	89	142

Chhetri made his senior debut for India against Pakistan in 2005 and has featured on the scoresheets ever since. He has won the Nehru Cup three times (2007, 2009, 2012) and the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship four times (2011, 2015, 2021, 2023). For his services, he was also awarded the Arjuna Award in 2011 and the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021.