Sunil Chhetri’s goals record: What makes India’s legend so lethal

Sunil Chhetri is regarded as one of the best football players India has ever produced. In a career spanning over two decades, the centre-forward has won many individual as well as team accolades.

The Secunderabad-born footballer, who made his debut for Mohun Bagan in 2002, went on to play for USA’s Major League Soccer team Kansas City Wizards in 2010 as well as for the reserve team of the Sporting CP in the Portuguese football league in 2012.

The seven-time AIFF Player of the Year winner, has also represented major Indian clubs like East Bengal (2008-2009), Dempo (2009-2010), ISL sides Mumbai City FC (2015-2016) and Bengaluru FC. It’s with the Bengaluru-based club that Chhetri won major club trophies – I-League (2014 and 2016), ISL (2019), Super Cup (2018). He also led Bengaluru FC to the AFC Cup final in 2016.

While wearing the Indian jersey, Chhetri helped India win the Nehru Cup (2007, 2009, 2012) as well as the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship (2011, 2015, 2021). He also played a part in India’s 2008 AFC Challenge Cup win, which helped them qualify for the first AFC Asian Cup (2011) in 27 years.

However, it was Sunil Chhetri's goal-scoring prowess that cemented his name among the greats of the game.

Sunil Chhetri goals

Since Sunil Chhetri’s first senior professional goal for Mohun Bagan in the National Football League season (2002-03), the Indian football great has notched up many goal-scoring feats for both club and country.

With 94 goals to his name in 151 international appearances, Sunil Chhetri is the fourth highest goal-scorer in international matches, only behind Portuguese ace Cristiano Ronaldo, Ali Daei of Iran and Lionel Messi of Argentina.

Sunil Chhetri made his international debut in 2005 and scored his first goal for the senior India national football team against Pakistan. One of Chhetri’s major goal-scoring achievements came in the 2011 SAFF Championship in New Delhi. During the ninth edition of the tournament, Chhetri went past Indian legend IM Vijayan's record of six goals in a single edition by scoring a record seven goals in India’s title win.

During the tournament, Sunil Chhetri also overtook IM Vijayan to become the highest goal-scorer in Indian football.

Sunil Chhetri’s international goals: by competition

At the club level, Sunil Chhetri has scored 169 goals in 382 appearances in his career and is also the top goalscorer in the ISL.

Sunil Chhetri’s club goals

* loan stints

Overall, Sunil Chhetri has already scored 263 goals for club and country in 533 appearances.

FIFA acknowledged Sunil Chhetri’s achievements on the field. The world football governing body released a documentary in 2022 named ‘Captain Fantastic’, highlighting the footballer’s goals-coring feats and his rise to greatness.

Sunil Chhetri’s total goals tally