Lionel Messi Comparisons To Indian Soccer Star Settled In Hilarious Way

The Indian captain often being compared to Lionel Messi settled the comparisons in a hilarious way.

Sunil Chhetri of India is one of the most decorated soccer players India has ever produced. He had been victorious in leading India to new heights in the international soccer scene. Chhetri has progressed into a smart leader and prolific goalscorer. In fact, after Cristiano Ronaldo, he is the all-time leading goalscorer for the Indian national team and has the second-highest number of international goals among active male players.

But the 35-year-old soccer star isn’t known for his accomplishments alone. What is even more interesting is that Chhetri is often compared to the Argentine superstar.

In recent a video released by PUMA India, Chhetri answered a few of the most asked questions about him on Google. As expected, the question about Messi popped up in which the Indian captain hilariously addressed.

The very first question to come across was, “Is Sunil Chhetri better than Lionel Messi?” Chhetri replied, “Yes,” but followed it up with a joke saying he’s better than the Barcelona star in speaking Hindi, Yahoo News reported.

“Yes, Sunil Chhetri is better than Lionel Messi at speaking Hindi. How about that?” Chhetri replied.

This wasn’t the first time “Milestone-man” addressed the Messi comparisons. In 2018, Chhetri already generated buzz in his country after matching one of Messi’s feats. The said feat may have caused the comparisons to the legend and also earned him the nickname “Indian Messi.” But just like his recent response, Chhetri quickly dismissed the idea and told the media to “not take it seriously,”

“They are comparing me with Messi? Please don’t take it seriously. I’m not Indian Messi. It’s like enjoying it for five seconds and then forget about it.” Chhetri said in an interview after his feat in 2018.

Aside from Chhetri, 22-year-old Sahal Abdul Samad is another Indian player who was once linked to Messi’s name. But unlike, Chhetri, Samad admitted that he wants to mould himself into becoming the Messi of India.

Like many youngsters in the sport, Samad revealed that he is a huge fan of Messi. He even stated in an interview that his style of playing is the same as the 6-time Ballon d’Or winner.

“I'm a fan of Lionel Messi, I watch him a lot and try to learn as much as possible. That's my way of playing as every player has their way of playing styles," Samad stated.