Sunil Chhetri

Sunil Chhetri is the striker Indian football has measured itself against for two decades. He became India's most-capped player and record goalscorer, and as of 2026 only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Ali Daei stand above him among all-time international scorers. He is also the Indian Super League's all-time leading scorer and still captains Bengaluru, having signed a one-year extension in July 2026. After turning professional at Mohun Bagan, he scored twelve league goals for JCT in 2006–07 and was named AIFF Player of the Year for 2007, the first of a record seven. Moves abroad kept slipping away: a deal with Queens Park Rangers collapsed when he was refused a British work permit because India sat outside FIFA's top 70. He did become the first Indian in MLS with Kansas City Wizards in 2010 and later joined Sporting CP, though only its reserve side. Peter Vermes in Kansas City called him "a crafty player" and added, "Technically he's very sharp." Bob Houghton was India's manager when Chhetri hit a hat-trick against Tajikistan in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final, the win that put India back into the Asian Cup after more than two decades. Houghton's verdict was short: "He is remarkable, brave and honest. He never gives up." He is mainly a central striker, known for pace, technique and dribbling, and over time he has reshaped his role and conditioning. He stands only 1.70 m, yet his timing and leap let him beat taller centre-backs, and he has won matches with diving headers. He can score from range too: in a 2016 AFC Cup semi-final he went past one defender and scored from 30 yards. Writers and analysts highlight his work rate, and his strict care over diet and fitness set a professional example in Indian football. Bengaluru is where it all came together. He won the I-League in the club's first season with 14 goals and seven assists, later lifted the ISL title in 2018–19, and in December 2024 a hat-trick against Kerala Blasters made him the oldest player to score one in the ISL. He missed decisive shoot-out kicks for East Bengal in a Federation Cup semi-final and for Bengaluru in a Durand Cup semi-final, but scored in India's winning shoot-outs at the 2009 and 2012 Nehru Cups. A controversial goal of his against Kerala Blasters in a 2023 knockout game led the opponents to walk off. For India he was captain and talisman. In 2018, upset by a thin crowd at the Intercontinental Cup, he posted a video asking fans to turn up; the stands filled, and India won the tournament with him as top scorer. He retired from India duty in 2024, returned in March 2025 at coach Manolo Márquez's request with a header against the Maldives, and stepped away for good after a failed 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign.