Good Sports: CHHETRI PASSES MESSI ON SCORING LIST
Sunil Chhetri, captain of the Indian men’s soccer team, scored two goals against Thailand in a preliminary match at the 2019 Asia Cup in United Arab Emirates, leading India to a 4-1 victory, its first win at the Asia Cup finals since 1964.
Chhetri’s second goal was also his 67th international goal, moving him into 20th place on the all-time list of soccer players with the most international goals. He also passed Argentina’s Lionel Messi (65 goals) and trails only Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (95 goals) among active players.
At age 34, Chhetri may have a few years left to augment his status as India’s greatest footballer. The Bengaluru Football Club star scored his first international goal against Pakistan in 2005 and has since appeared in 105 international matches, scoring an average of 0.64 goals per match.
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]
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