Once again, Sunil Chhetri, 35-year-old, has proved his worth for his country. He played an important role in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers match against Bangladesh on 8th June 2021. He scored two goals in that match and defeated Bangladesh by 2-0. These two goals were his 73rd and 74th goals and helped him surpass Argentina’s global superstar Lionel Messi to become the third-highest active international goal-scorer.
Here we present the list of top 5 highest active international goal-scorers:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Country- Portugal
Club- Juventus (Serie A)
Position- Forward
Age- 36
Goals- 104
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a portuguese footballer. He plays as a forward for Serie A club Juventus and captains the Portugal national team. He is considered one of the best players in the world. Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or awards, four European Golden Shoes, five UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Nations League title.
2. Ali Mabkhout
Country- United Arab Emirates
Club- Al Jazira FC (UAE Pro League)
Position- Centre-Forward
Age- 30
Goals- 75
Ali Ahmed Mabkhout Mohsen Al Hajeri is an Emirati football player who plays for Al Jazira. He made his debut for the Al Jazira team in 2009. He played three games in the UAE Olympic team in London against Uruguay, Great Britain, and Senegal. He won the Asian Games silver medal in 2010, UAE Pro League in 2010-11,2016-17,2020-21, UAE President’s Cup in 2010-11,2011-12, and many more.
3. Sunil Chhetri
Country- India
Club- Bengaluru FC (Indian Super League)
Position- Forward
Age- 36
Goals- 74
Sunil Chhetri is an Indian football player who plays as a forward and captains the Indian national football team. He started his career at Mohun Bagan in 2002. Chettri helped India win the 2007,2009 and 2012 Nehru Cup as well as the 2011 SAFF Championship. He also helped India win the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup and Intercontinental Cup 2017,2018. He was honoured as AIFF Player of the year from 2007,2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018-19, FPAI Indian Player of the year for 2009,2018, and many more.
4. Lionel Messi
Country- Argentina
Club- FC Barcelona (La Liga)
Position- Forward
Age- 33
Goals- 73
Lionel Andres Messi is an Argentine football player. He plays as a forward and captains both Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He is considered one of the best players in the world. He has won six Ballon d’Or awards, six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d’Or Dream Team. He spent his entire professional career in Barcelona.
5. Neymar
Country- Brazil
Club- Paris Saint-Germain (Ligue 1)
Position- Forward
Age- 29
Goals- 67
Neymar da Silva Santos Junior is a Brazilian football player. He plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. He made his debut at the age of 17 at Santos. He helped the club to win two consecutive Campeonato Paulista championships, a Copa do Brasil and the 2011 Copa Libertadores. He also has a gold medal in 2016 and silver medal in 2012, and a South American Youth Championship in 2011.
