The Indian men’s national soccer team rose to 99 in the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday. The Blue Tigers are unbeaten in 2023 and have won three trophies in the calendar year, the Tri-Nations Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship. Sunil Chhetri and Co are unbeaten in their last eleven matches, winning seven.
Under head coach Igor Stimac, the national team looks set to rise in time with the FIFA World Cup qualifiers this year and the AFC Asian in January 2024. The Indian team has gained a double-digit ranking after five years and expects to climb the ladder further in the following months. India are next in action in September when they visit Thailand to take part in the King’s Cup, followed by a travel to Malaysia to participate in the Merdeka tournament before the start of the World Cup qualifiers. So, the Blue Tigers move into a fast-paced and pivotal phase of the month as they look to exhibit their talent on Asia’s biggest stage.
Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri has been the biggest reason behind India’s rise in world football. He won the AIFF Player of the Year award six times. Let’s not forget that Chhetri is also the top scorer in Indian football. He scored a total of 92 goals in 142 matches. Only three footballers are ahead of him on this list, including Argentine legend Lionel Messi (103 goals), Iran’s Al Daei (109 goals) and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (123 goals). Chhetri is also the second highest scorer in Asia. Don’t forget that Chhetri is also India’s most capped national team player with a total of 142 caps. Chhetri said recently, that the day he runs out of fuel will be his last day on the football field, when he decided to hang up his boots.