Whoever scores jubilation remains same, says modest Chhetri after going past Messi

To say Sunil Chhetri and Lionel Messi in the same breath is more than a little odd, is what the talismanic Indian striker himself felt once or twice.

On Sunday, he went past the Argentine superstar in the list of goals scored by an active footballer on the international arena, leading, as he has so many times done, his country to its first win in the AFC Asian Cup since 1964.

He was modesty personified after going past (in terms of goals scored at least) one of modern day's greatest footballers.

"Records don't matter, it doesnt matter who scores the goals. Whoever scores the jubilation was the same. I'm glad we got all three points," Chhetri said after the sensational 4-1 result against Thailand, the team that featured three J-League players in its ranks.

The 34-year-old Chhetri scored a world-class goal -- his second of the the game -- but he preferred to talk everything else but his strike, which became a talking point for Indian football fans.

"I can think about my goals some ten years later," he maintained post-match.

"At the moment, we need to focus. The goals need to come and it just doesn't matter who scores," he stated.

"You can see the jubilation and happiness whenever someone scores. I am so happy for the boys. Every one of them ran and defended for their lives."
Looking at the statistics and the goal-scoring comparisons between him and them (Messi and Ronaldo), Chhetri had said last year, "It's not even fair. The two players who are above me are completely world stars. I am a big fan of Messi and Ronaldo. There is a massive difference between them and us. There is no comparison at all."
"The goals came in the right times and it helped a lot."