Desi boy Sunil Chhetri breaks Lionel Messi’s record. Yes, you read it right

Indian national football team captain Sunil Chhetri on Monday went past Argentinean forward Lionel Messi’s tally to become the second-highest scorer in international football among active players. Chhetri scored a brace against Bangladesh in world cup qualifiers and took his overall tally to 74, overtaking Messi’s 72-goal mark. 

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India won the game 2-0 at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. Chhetri has played 117 games so far, while the Argentine star has played 143 games. 

Chhetri, 36, is now only behind Portugal’s talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 103 goals, in the list of active footballers. Ali Mabkhout of the United Arab Emirates has 73 goals, placing him at third in the list.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel congratulated Chhetri for the feat on Twitter, saying, “Our @IndianFootball skipper Sunil Chhetri adds another feather to his illustrious caps as he overtook Lionel Messi to become the second-highest active international goalscorer with 74 goals. A big congratulations to Captain Fantastic & wishing him many more accolades in the future”.

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Chhetri’s goals in Monday’s game came in at 79th and 92nd minutes. And with the win over Bangladesh, India rose to the third spot in Group E with six points from seven games.