Sunil Chhetri Overtakes Lionel Messi, One Goal Away From Entering All-Time Top-10

Sunil Chhetri (74 goals) has surpassed Argentine superstar Lionel Messi to become the second-highest active international goal-scorer.

He's now got more than Messi! Sunil Chhetri's double earns the Blue Tigers a 2-0 win in #WCQ and moves him on to 74 international goals - above Lionel Messi and one off entering world football's all-time top 10@chetrisunil11 | @IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/sCCd6BgS9H Indian football talisman Sunil Chhetri has surpassed Argentina's global superstar Lionel Messi to become the second-highest active international goal-scorer with 74 strikes. The 36-year-old Chhetri achieved the feat with his brace against against Bangladesh in the joint preliminary qualifying round match for 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup on Monday night. The seasoned striker, who helped India register their first win in six years in World Cup qualifiers, now stands only behind Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (103) in the active international goal-scorers list. Chhetri leads Barcelona star Messi by two goals and sits a place above Ali Mabkhout of the UAE, who is third on the list with 73 goals to his name. Messi scored his 72nd international goal in a World Cup qualifier against Chile last Thursday, while Mabkhout added to his tally against Malaysia, also last week.