Gerard Zaragoza and Thangboi Singto hail Sunil Chhetri's determination and fighting spirit

The veteran Indian footballing legend has consistently maintained his goal scoring form.

Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri has become the joint-highest goal scorer in the Indian Super League (ISL) with 63 goals. He achieved this milestone during Bengaluru FC‘s latest encounter with Hyderabad FC on 19th September, scoring two goals at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. The iconic former Indian football team captain reached this accomplishment in his 157th appearance in the league.

Alongside Chhetri, Nigerian striker Bartholomew Ogbeche, now retired, also holds the joint record for the highest goals in India’s top-tier professional club competition, which he scored in 98 appearances.

Chhetri came onto the field as a substitute, replacing Chinglensana Singh in the 57th minute. His first goal came from a penalty in the 85th minute.

The forward created another chance in the 89th minute, but his teammate Alberto Noguera couldn’t direct the ball on target. In the final minutes, Spanish striker Edgar Mendez intercepted the ball and sent in a cross to Chhetri, who was perfectly positioned at the center of the box, away from the defenders. His diving header into the bottom-left corner secured Bengaluru FC’s third and final goal of the match.

Gerard Zaragoza on Chhetri’s determination

During the post-match press conference, Bengaluru FC head coach Gerard Zaragoza praised Chhetri’s consistency. When asked about Chhetri, Zaragoza said he hadn’t noticed any difference in him over the years. “He wants to win everything; he wants to play all the minutes. He pushes me a lot to play him, both in training and games. But you see, he had 30 minutes and scored two goals. This is what I expect from him this season – to be the top Indian goal scorer again.”

Thangboi Singto on Chhetri’s journey as a lesson for young players

Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto urged young players to learn from Sunil Chhetri’s professional journey, highlighting his tactical focus. He stated, “Young Indian players need to be focused more on the tactical part. That’s our job, definitely. But as professional players, you are busy with your other life, which is important.

The social media and all. But if you want to improve as a player from last season to this season going forward, and keep on improving, you have to take advantage of the people around you. The analysts, the assistant coaches, the coaches.”

Elaborating this further, Singto said, “It’s not about only coming off two hours of training and then you are on your own. No, you have to keep trying to search for the right people to help you. And young people, I don’t know how much they do. Today, if you see the second half, Sunil came and that was experience. And if you see Sunil, I overrate that, not much on social media, apart from the club and all. That (Chhetri’s approach) is something to learn.”

In addition to Sunil Chhetri and Bartholomew Ogbeche, Odisha FC striker Roy Krishna is also in the race for the ISL top scorer, with 56 goals in 108 appearances.

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