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Captain Sunil Chhetri celebrated his historic 150th international appearance by converting a penalty in the first half to give India a 1-0 lead over Afghanistan in a football World Cup 2026 Asia Qualifier in Guwahati.on March 26.
The goal came from a penalty kick awarded after Afghanistan’s Haroon Amiri committed a handball offence.
Chhetri, 39, confidently converted the penalty, sending the ball to the right of the diving Afghanistan goalkeeper, igniting the crowd at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.
Though India lost the match 1-2, the strike marked Chhetri’s 94th international goal, reported Firstpost. The Telangana-born player has now bagged a goal in each of his 25th, 50th, 75th, 100th, 125th and 150th match representing the country.
His latest strike takes his tally to within 12 of the 106 international goals scored by third-placed Argentinian great Lionel Messi. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo leads the charts with 128 goals, followed by Iran’s Ali Daei with 109.
“When I started playing football, it never occurred to me that I could play for the country one day,” Chhetri told aiff.com. “In fact, even a few days back, I was not aware I was on the verge of such a record.
“When you 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 India.”
It’s been a regular storyline for Indian football in the recent past, where Chhetri, the oldest player in the squad, has come to the team’s rescue. And, after 19 long years, it’s clear he’s not tiring of that responsibility.
Chhetri’s national team debut in 2005 at the age of 20 was a sign of things to come. He scored a goal in the absence of prolific scorer Bhaichung Bhutia to salvage a 1-1 draw with Pakistan in Quetta. A couple of years later, he won his first major tournament, the Nehru Cup, which he went on to lift on two other occasions.
By 2011, Chhetri was handed the captain’s armband, a duty he has aced with his relentless work ethic and discipline.
The South Asian Football Federation Championship that year was a memorable campaign for him, where he went past I.M. Vijayan (40 goals in 79 games) to become the highest scorer for India, while also scoring seven goals to help India win the tournament.
Chhetri also remains the top scorer in Indian club football. Since his debut with Mohun Bagan in 2002, he has scored 157 goals in 361 appearances.
