India's Top 5 All-Time Football Goal Scorers Revealed

Table of Contents

Indian football history is not something the country is proud of, but 1951 to 1962 was a golden era for Indian football under Syed Abdul Rahim. Still, some players were amazing in front of goals, which we are going to talk about today as the top 5 highest goal scorer in Indian Football history.

Top 5 Highest Goal Scorer In Indian Football History

It is not usual for the Indian Football team to score many goals, which is one of the major issues that the team lacks. In the last 70 years, India has failed to achieve anything high, which is quite hard to understand because they are not even able to qualify for the World Cup Qualifiers.

In the last 7-8 years, the Indian football board has spent a lot of money on coaches like Igor Stimac and also on domestic football, but the team still failed to give good results. However, a few players kept scoring for the team, but the issue with the Indian football teams over the last two years is that they failed to score goals, and in the year 2024, they even failed to win a single match.

5. Shabbir Ali: 23 Goals In 66 International Appearance

Shabbir Ali is the first Indian footballer to receive the Dhyan Chand Award for his lifetime achievement and is currently an Indian football manager. He played 66 matches for the Indian team, scoring 23 goals. He hails from Hyderabad and played as the main striker for Team India from 1974-1984.

2. Jeje Lalpekhlua: 23 Goals In 56 International Appearance

Jeje Lalpekhlua is the second-highest goalscorer in the Indian Super League and won the I-League with Mohun Bagan in the 2014-2015 season. Later on, he won the Indian Super League with Chennaiyin in 2015. He is tied at the 5 position with Shabbir Ali as the Top 5 highest goal scorer in Indian football at the International stage, scoring 23 goals in 56 matches.

Jeje is also a politician who joined the Zoram People’s Movement and won from the South Tuipui constituency in the 2023 Mizoram Legislative Assembly election.

3. Bhaichung Bhutia: 26 Goals In 80 International Appearance

Bhaiching Bhutia, the legend of Indian football, also became the first Indian footballer to sign a contract with European-level clubs in England, including teams like Fulham, West Bromwich Albion, and Aston Villa. However, he was not able to succeed there and returned to India in 2002. He kept playing for the Indian team, and in 80 appearances, he scored 26 goals for India.

4. I.M. Vijayan: 30 Goals In 72 International Appearance

After Sunil Chhetri, I.M Vijayan is notable as the best Indian footballer of all time, as he scored 30 goals in just 72 matches at the International level, making him the second-highest goal scorer. He was born in Kerala and had the nickname Kalo Hiran (blackbuck).

5. Sunil Chhetri: 94 Goals In 150 International Appearance

The pride of India and Indian football is that Sunil Chhetri is the highest goal scorer, scoring 94 goals in 150 appearances. He is also the top 4th goal scorer in the history of Football, just below Ali Daei, the Iranian Legend Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo, which is a pride for any player to be amongst the best.

Player	Span	International caps	Goals
Sunil Chhetri	2005-present	150	94
I.M. Vijayan	1989-2004	72	30
Bhaichung Bhutia	1995-2011	80	26
Shabbir Ali	1974-1984	66	23
Jeje Lalpekhlua	2011-present	56	23