Ronaldo equals international goal record (2024)

Cristiano Ronaldo reached another famous landmark as his two penalties in Portugal's 2-2 draw with France took him to 109 international goals, a joint world record for men's football.

Ali Daei, who scored 109 goals for Iran between 1993 and 2006, and Ronaldo are the only two male players to score 90 or more international goals.

This is the latest landmark to push the argument for the 36-year-old to be considered an all-time great.

He is already the top scorer in club football's top tournament, the European Cup/Champions League, a trophy he has won five times.

Against France he became the top European scorer in World Cups and European Championships combined, overtaking Miroslav Klose's record of 19.

He also became the top scorer in European Championship history against Hungary on Tuesday, 15 June and his tally is up to 14 now.

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How his international goals have come...

What tournaments have they come in?
31 - European Championship qualifiers
31 - World Cup qualifiers
19 - International friendlies
14 - European Championship
7 - World Cups
5 - Uefa Nations League
2 - Confederations Cup

Almost half of Cristiano Ronaldo's goals have come in the final 30 minutes of games.

He has netted 31 times in the final 15 minutes and 22 times between the 61st and 75th minute.

Ronaldo has scored 17 times between minutes 16-30 and 16 times between 31-45, with 11 in the opening 15 minutes of the first half and 12 in the opening 15 minutes of the second half.

Some 89 of his goals have been inside the box with 20 from outside. He has scored 14 penalties and nine free-kicks.

Lithuania and Sweden (seven each) are the sides he has scored the most against. He had not scored against France before Wednesday's game in Budapest.

How Ronaldo's record stacks up

There is no official database for top men's international goalscorers which makes it hard to say exactly who ranks there.

Daei and Ronaldo are top on 109 goals each, of that there is no doubt.

Iran's Daei, who played for Bayern Munich, is said to have broken Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas' record in 2003 with his 85th international goal. That is the year Ronaldo made his international debut - and the Ferenc Puskas Arena in Budapest was where he equalled the record.

Cynics could argue that Daei's goals were against easier opposition - with 95 against fellow Asian sides.

He scored eight against the Maldives and Laos and six against Lebanon.

But Ronaldo has also benefitted from facing weaker nations including six against Andorra and Luxembourg each.

The only question is who ranks below them. Mokhtar Dahari of Malaysia (who played in the 1970s and 80s) is credited as being third in some places with 89 goals - but that figure is unverified.

Puskas is definitely next, with 84 goals in 85 caps for Hungary. He was the top scoring European before Ronaldo.

Zambia's Godfrey Chitalu scored 79 goals between the 1960s and 1980s - although again that figure is not certified.

Ronaldo is unlikely to beat the world record, including women's football, of Canada striker Christine Sinclair. She has scored 186 goals in 299 caps and has not yet retired.

Ronaldo gets one over Messi

In the strange modern-day phenomena of Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fanboys, this is another tick in the Ronaldo column.

He has won an international tournament - Euro 2016 - which Messi has not. Messi is currently playing in the Copa America, though, with Argentina.

Ronaldo's 109 goals in 178 games is well clear of Messi's 73 in 147 - roughly 0.6 goals a game to 0.5.

Messi is 33 so would need another 27 goals to reach 100. That is the amount he has managed since 2015. It would take him another seven years to match Ronaldo's 109 based on current form.

Ronaldo's remarkable international career

The highlight of Ronaldo's international career was undoubtedly winning Euro 2016, although he went off injured early in the final.

He has scored in two Euros semi-finals too, 12 years apart - against the Netherlands in 2004 and Wales in 2016.

His finest hour at a World Cup was a hat-trick against Spain in the group stages three years ago in Russia, including a late free-kick. That is one of his nine international hat-tricks - including one against Switzerland in the 2019 Uefa Nations League semi-finals.

He has also scored in all nine major tournaments he has played in - World Cups and European Championships. Including the Confederations Cup and Nations League, he has scored in 11 out of 11.

Ronaldo has a chance to win his first Golden Boot at a major tournament. He has scored five goals, two more than anybody else.

Ronaldo equals international goal record (1)

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Ronaldo equals international goal record (2)

Ronaldo equals international goal record (2024)

FAQs

Did Ronaldo break the world record? ›

Ronaldo broke the world record for international goals when he scored twice against Republic of Ireland in Portugal's European Qualifier in Faro-Loulé on 1 September 2021, aged 36. He surpassed the existing world-record mark set by former Iran forward Ali Daei – the first man to claim a century of international goals.

Can Ronaldo score 900 goals? ›

He could if he plays long enough and keeps scoring at an elite level. As of 05/09/2021 he has scored 785 official goals for club and country. Considering he scores a goal every 1.37 matches (for his career) that means to score a further 215 goals he needs to play around 300 more.

Who is the only player with more international goals than Ronaldo? ›

Most international goals: Men's all-time top 10
PlayerGoals
1.Cristiano Ronaldo*128
2.Ali Daei109
3.Lionel Messi*106
4.Sunil Chhetri*93
7 more rows
Mar 25, 2024

Can Ronaldo score 1,000 goals? ›

Ronaldo's 857 career goals have been scored at an average of 0.72 per game. Using that strike-rate, he would have to play another 198 matches to get the 143 goals needed to reach 1,000.

Can Messi break Ronaldo's record? ›

Lionel Messi breaks Cristiano Ronaldo's record for most goals scored in Europe's top five leagues | Mint.

Who has broken the world record? ›

Ashrita Furman (born Keith Furman, September 16, 1954) is a Guinness World Records record-breaker. As of 2017, Furman has set more than 600 official Guinness Records and currently holds over 200 records, thus holding the Guinness world record for the most Guinness world records. He has been breaking records since 1979.

Will Ronaldo play 2026 World Cup? ›

The next World Cup may be three years away, but Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly plans to take part in the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada. He has apparently told Al Nassr that he'd like to extend his contract with the club until at least the beginning of 2027, when he is expected to hang up his boots.

Has anyone scored 1000 goals in football? ›

Precisely how many time Pele hit the net is a matter of debate, with most statisticians agreeing the number is between 1,281 and 1,283. FIFA put his overall total at more than 1,200 - over 1,000 of which came for his first club, Santos.

Is cr7 the highest goal scorer? ›

With over 880 goals at club and international level combined, Cristiano Ronaldo is the top goalscorer of all time.

Who is better than Messi? ›

Ronaldo has an edge over Messi in the Champions League, his love affair with the competition earning him the moniker 'Mr Champions League'. The Al-Nassr star has also enjoyed notable success on the international stage with Portugal, winning the European Championship and the UEFA Nations League.

Who is better Ronaldo or Messi? ›

Who is better Messi Or Ronaldo? Ronaldo has scored a record number of international goals and appearances, but Messi has won more Ballon d'Or awards (8). Messi has spent most of his playing career in Spain and France, while Ronaldo has played in Portugal, England, Spain, and Italy.

Who has more trophies Messi or Ronaldo? ›

They are two of the most decorated footballers ever, having won a combined 79 official trophies (Messi 44, Ronaldo 35) during their senior careers thus far, and have regularly broken the 50-goal barrier in a single season. They are the only two players to score over 800 goals each in their careers for club and country.

How many goals did Pele have? ›

Guinness World Records credits Pelé with 1,279 goals in 1,363 matches. It says he added more goals in “special appearances” after ending his career, but doesn't specify them. Pelé played a few celebratory matches after officially retiring in 1977.

How many goal does CR7 have? ›

He has scored a record 885 senior career goals for club and country. Moreover, he is one of the few recorded players to have made over 1,200 professional career appearances. Collectively, Ronaldo has won 33 senior trophies in his career.

How many goals Ronaldo scored in Al Nassr? ›

Cristiano Ronaldo's goals for Al Nassr: Know ace footballer's scoring record for Saudi club. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 56 goals in 62 matches for Al Nassr since joining the Riyadh-based club, which plays in the Saudi Pro League.

How many Guinness world record does Ronaldo have? ›

Lionel Messi has 41 Guinness World Records titles but. Cristiano Ronaldo isn't far behind with 40 ⚽️ 🙌

What is Ronaldo's unbreakable record? ›

Top Scorer in International Matches

Since September 2021, Ronaldo has held the distinction of being the highest ever scorer in men's international soccer. The Al Nassr star broke the record once held by Iran's Ali Daei by scoring his 110th goal for Portugal in a World Cup qualifying match against Ireland.

Who break the Ronaldo record? ›

Lionel Messi scored his 702nd goal in Europe's top five leagues after his strike against the Paris Saint-Germain vs Nice Ligue 1 match, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 701 goals.

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