Sunil Chhetri
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Chhetri in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sunil Chhetri | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 August 1984[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana), India[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Bengaluru | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | City Club Delhi[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | Mohun Bagan | 18 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | JCT | 48 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | East Bengal | 17 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Dempo | 13 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Kansas City Wizards | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Chirag United | 7 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Mohun Bagan | 14 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Sporting CP B | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | → Churchill Brothers (loan) | 8 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Bengaluru | 43 | (16) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Mumbai City | 17 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | → Bengaluru (loan) | 14 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017– | Bengaluru | 182 | (75) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | India U20 | 3 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2023 | India U23 | 6[α] | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005– | India | 155 | (95) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:30, 12 April 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:30, 4 June 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sunil Chhetri (Nepali: [sunil t͡sʰet̪ri], born 3 August 1984) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Indian Super League club Bengaluru and the India national team.[3] He is the all-time top scorer in ISL history,[4] the fourth-highest international goalscorer,[5][6] and the most-capped player and all-time top goalscorer of the India national team. He is widely regarded as the greatest Indian football player.[7][8][9]
Chhetri began his professional career at Mohun Bagan in 2002,[10][11] moving to JCT where he scored 21 goals in 48 games.[12] Sunil was part of Delhi team in the 59th edition of Santosh Trophy held at Delhi. He scored six goals in that tournament including a hat-trick against Gujarat. Delhi lost to Kerala in the quarter-finals and he scored in that match too.[13] He signed for Major League Soccer side Kansas City Wizards in 2010, becoming the third player from the subcontinent of note to go abroad.[14] He returned to India's I-League where he played for Chirag United and Mohun Bagan before going back abroad, at Sporting CP of the Primeira Liga, where he played for the club's reserve side.[15]
Chhetri helped India win the 2007, 2009, and 2012 Nehru Cup, as well as the 2011, 2015, 2021 and 2023 SAFF Championship. He also led India to victory in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup, which qualified them to their first AFC Asian Cup in 27 years,[16] scoring twice in the final tournament in 2011.[17] In 2016, Chhetri led Bengaluru FC to a silver medal finish in the AFC Cup. Chhetri has also been named AIFF Player of the Year a record seven times in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018–19 and 2021–22.[18][19]
Chhetri received the Arjuna Award in 2011 for his outstanding sporting achievement, the Padma Shri award in 2019, India's fourth highest civilian award. In 2021, he received the Khel Ratna Award, India's highest sporting honor and became the first footballer to receive the award.[20] He announced his retirement from all forms of international football in June 2024, playing his last match for India against Kuwait. On 6 March 2025 though, it was announced that Chhetri had come out of international retirement to help the national team.[21]
His goal tally also ranks him fourth in the all-time list among international goal-scorers, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Ali Daei. FIFA took to their official handle on X, to post a picture of the three then active top scorers.[22]
- ^ a b c "Sunil Chhetri". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ Chaudhuri, Arunava. "Season ending Transfers 2002: India". indianfootball.de. Indian Football Network. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ "Manolo Márquez includes Sunil Chhetri in squad list for March FIFA Window". www.the-aiff.com.
- ^ "Sunil Chhetri Etches History; Becomes All-Time Leading Goalscorer in ISL History". News18. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
- ^ "Captain Fantastic Chhetri strike seals India's 1–0 win over Kyrgyzstan". Business Standard India. Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 13 June 2017. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017.
- ^ "Captain fantastic Sunil Chhetri seals 2018 Intercontinental Cup for India". Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited. 10 June 2018. Archived from the original on 11 June 2018.
- ^ "Sunil Chhetri: No better place than Doha for Indian football's Asian revival". Gulf Times. 3 November 2016. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ "AFC Cup 2016: Sunil Chhetri – The captain who leads by example". Sportskeeda. 20 October 2016. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ "We're upbeat: Sunil". The Telegraph. 3 November 2016. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ "Chhetri becomes the first Indian to join MLS". Rediff.com. 26 March 2016. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ^ "The Rs 1 crore boys". The Telegraph. 15 April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "NFT player — National team & Club appearances: Chhetri, Sunil". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ "Goal rush". The Tribune. pp. https://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041106/spr-trib.htm. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ Wiebe, Andrew. "Wizards sign Indian forward Chhetri". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ "Sunil Chhetri joins Sporting Clube de Portugal 'B' side". IBN Live. 21 August 2013. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014.
- ^ "AFC Challenge Cup '08: India Win The AFC Challenge Cup '08". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ Sengupta, Somnath (20 January 2011). "India In AFC Asian Cup 2011: Performance Review". The Hard Tackle. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ "Sunil Chhetri named 2014 AIFF Player of the Year". The Times of India. 27 December 2014. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Sunil Chhetri named AIFF Player of Year for sixth time". The Times of India. TOI. 9 July 2019. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ "Manpreet Singh, Sunil Chhetri to get Khel Ratna". India TV. 2 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ "Sunil Chhetri comes back from retirement, could play vs Maldives, Bangladesh later this month". 6 March 2025.
- ^ "'Retiring As a Legend': FIFA Pays Tribute to India's Sunil Chhetri Alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi". News18. 16 May 2024.
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