In this post, we will talk about the Legendary Footballer Sunil Chhetri. Here we will talk about his career, Sunil Chhetri Total Goals, Awards and Honours and many more.
Sunil Chhetri is one of the best players in Indian football team. He plays as a forward and captain of the Indian team. He is also the captain of Bengaluru FC Tia in the Indian Super League. He was born on August 3, 1984, in Secunderabad, Telangana, a state in India.
Sunil Chhetri started his professional career in 2002 with Mohun Bagan. Since then, he has played for several top football clubs such as East Bengal, Dempo, and Bengaluru FC. Sunil Chhetri is the highest goalscorer in the Indian football team. He has received many honours and awards in his career.
Sunil Chhetri is one of the best players in the history of Indian football. He is the GOAT of Indian football. He has made a huge contribution in taking Indian football forward with his game and making it the best.
Apart from his domestic and international career, Sunil Chhetri has also played for foreign clubs such as Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer and Portuguese club Sporting CP B.
Sunil Chhetri Total Goals
Let’s know without wasting time Sunil Chhetri total goals, appearance, and other stats.
Goals in International Football by Sunil Chhetri
| Year | Goals | Appearance |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 6 |
| 2023 | 9 | 14 |
| 2022 | 4 | 6 |
| 2021 | 8 | 10 |
| 2019 | 7 | 11 |
| 2018 | 8 | 6 |
| 2017 | 5 | 6 |
| 2016 | 4 | 2 |
| 2015 | 6 | 12 |
| 2014 | 3 | 2 |
| 2013 | 5 | 11 |
| 2012 | 4 | 8 |
| 2011 | 13 | 17 |
| 2010 | 3 | 6 |
| 2009 | 1 | 6 |
| 2008 | 8 | 13 |
| 2007 | 6 | 7 |
| 2006 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005 | 1 | 5 |
| Total: | 94 | 151 |
Sunil Chhetri is the best player from India in international football. He also holds the record for scoring the most goals for India. On June 12, 2005, he scored the first goal of his career against India’s arch-rivals, Pakistan.
Since then, he has scored 94 goals in 151 international football appearances. He started his career in the first international tournament in 2007 by participating in the Nehru Cup, which was held in India. He scored four goals in this tournament: two against Cambodia, one against Kyrgyzstan, and one against Syria.
In 2011, Sunil Chhetri became India’s highest goalscorer. When he performed brilliantly against Maldives in the SAFF Championship held in 2011, India emerged victorious 3–1. Before this, the record for scoring the highest number of 29 goals was held by legendary player I. M . Vijayan.
Sunil Chhetri Total Goals in Different Championships
| Competition | Goals | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Friendlies | 18 | 38 |
| AFC Asian Cup | 4 | 9 |
| Intercontinental Cup | 13 | 11 |
| AFC Asian Cup qualifiers | 8 | 12 |
| FIFA World Cup qualifiers | 10 | 24 |
| SAFF Championship | 23 | 28 |
| Nehru Cup (Friendly tournament) | 9 | 14 |
| AFC Challenge Cup | 7 | 13 |
| AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers | 3 | 6 |
| King’s Cup (Friendly tournament) | 1 | 1 |
Sunil Chhetri is one of the best players in the Indian football world. He has scored the most goals in his career in the SAFF Championship, scoring 23 goals in 27 matches. Chhetri’s best performances have been against Nepal and Maldives, scoring 8 goals against each. After this comes the number Bangladesh and Chinese Taipei Taiwan, they scored 6 goals against each of them.
Sunil Chhetri Total Goals for Clubs
| Year | Team | Goal | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016– | Bengaluru | 105 | 238 |
| 2016 | Bengaluru(loan) | 9 | 20 |
| 2015–2016 | Mumbai City | 7 | 17 |
| 2013–2015 | Bengaluru | 29 | 61 |
| 2013 | Churchill Brothers (loan) | 8 | 17 |
| 2012–2013 | Sporting CP B | 0 | 3 |
| 2011–2012 | Mohun Bagan | 9 | 18 |
| 2011 | Chirag United | 7 | 7 |
| 2010 | Kansas City Wizards | 0 | 1 |
| 2009–2010 | Dempo | 13 | 24 |
| 2008–2009 | East Bengal | 13 | 26 |
| 2005–2008 | JCT | 44 | 79 |
| 2002–2005 | Mohan Bagan | 28 | 72 |
Sunil Chhetri has achieved that height at the international level which no Indian football player has done to date, but his journey is not limited to the international level only, he has also done wonders in domestic football. He started his football career with the football club Mohun Bagan in 2002 and was associated with them till 2005. During this, he scored 8 goals in 18 matches. During his career, he has played for many domestic and international clubs. He has been associated with Bengaluru FC since 2016 and is also the club captain.
International football’s top goal scorers: Sunil Chhetri Total Goals
| Rank | Player | Country | Confederation | Appearance | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | UEFA | 251 | 153 |
| 2 | Ali Daei | Iran | AFC | 148 | 108 |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | CONMEBOL | 213 | 128 |
| 4 | Sunil Chhetri | India | AFC | 151 | 94 |
| 5 | Mokhtar Dahari | Malaysia | AFC | 142 | 89 |
| 6 | Ferenc Puskás | Hungary | UEFA | 85 | 84 |
| 7 | Ali Mabkhout | UAE | AFC | 109 | 81 |
| 8 | Godfrey Chitalu | Zambia | CAF | 111 | 79 |
| 9 | Hussein Saeed | Iraq | AFC | 137 | 78 |
| 10 | Pelé | Brazil | CONMEBOL | 92 | 77 |
Sunil Chhetri is the fourth footballer on the list to score the most goals in international matches in the world. He has scored 94 goals in 150 matches so far. The record of scoring the most goals in the world is in the name of Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo. He scored 146 goals in a total of 240 matches.
Sunil Chhetri list of Awards
| Award | Category | Year(s) Won | Organizing Body | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIFF Player of the Year | Indian Football | 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018-19, 2021-22 | All India Football Federation | Recognition for outstanding performance by an Indian footballer |
| Arjuna Award | Sporting Achievement | 2011 | Government of India | Second-highest civilian award for sports in India |
| Padma Shri | Distinguished Service | 2019 | Government of India | Fourth-highest civilian award in India |
| Khel Ratna Award | Sporting Achievement | 2021 | Government of India | Highest sporting honour in India |
| AFC Cup Runner-up | Club Level | 2016 | Asian Football Confederation | Second place with Bengaluru FC |
| Other Club-Level Awards | Club Level | Varies | Respective Clubs | Varies depending on the club and competition |
Sunil Chhetri Personal Life
Sunil Chhetri enjoys listening to songs, watching films and reading books. He is also a fan of tennis and cricket. Apart from football, he also does many charitable works in his personal life. He has done the work of promoting and spreading education, he has also donated to many schools and colleges across the country.
Net Worth
Indian football player Sunil Chhetri has a net worth of USD 1 million as of 2024.
Family
Sunil Chhetri’s father’s name is K.B Chhetri and his mother’s is Sushila Chhetri. His father was an officer in the Indian Army and his mother was a housewife. He is married to Sonam Bhattacharya, daughter of Mohun Bagan legend Subrata Bhattacharya.
Also Read: Who is the Goat of football history
