Sunil Chhetri — India

Sunil Chhetri has been the poster boy of Indian football over the last decade. He was instrumental in guiding India to an AFC Asian Cup berth in 2011 and scored two of the side’s three goals in that edition. Fast forward to 2018, the 34-year-old Chhetri has no plans of slowing down, having racked up a series of impressive performances along the way. He recently scored his 65th international goal, making him the joint second-highest active international goalscorer along with Lionel Messi — only behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 85 goals to his name.

Chhetri, who is India’s most-capped player with 103 appearances, played an indispensable role in India’s path to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification. Like a true captain, he led from the front and scored a remarkable eight goals to steer the Blue Tigers to their fourth appearance in the tournament.

Backed by a dynamic team, Chhetri — who is known for his wily footwork and knack of finding spaces — will be out to marshal India past the group stage for the first time in 55 years.