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? ›

When did Ronaldo break the international goals 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.

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.

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.

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.

Who has broken more records Messi or Ronaldo? ›

Lionel Messi is the footballer with the most Guinness World Records (GWR). In a Twitter post on Tuesday, the British reference book announced that the Argentine surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo on the log for the most record titles. Messi is said to have 41 records to his name, while Ronaldo falls just one short at 40.

Can Messi break Ronaldo's record? ›

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

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? ›

No one has ever scored 1000 goals in official games, not even Josef Bican.

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.

Which team is Ronaldo going to in 2024? ›

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to lead Portugal in the 2024 European Championship, defying doubts about his international career. After leaving Manchester United and experiencing Portugal's early exit from the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia was met with scepticism.

Will Ronaldo play in Euro 2024? ›

Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his intention to extend his international career with Portugal through to the next European Championship in 2024.

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 will win Ballon d or 2024? ›

Ranking factors
Ballon D'Or Power Rankings
RankPlayerPosition
1Jude BellinghamMidfielder
2Kylian MbappeForward
3Harry KaneForward
12 more rows
Mar 30, 2024

How many hattrick does Ronaldo have? ›

Ronaldo now has 64 career hat-tricks, whereas Messi, who plays for American club Inter Miami, has done it on 57 occasions. The Argentine has performed impressively for his new club and has time to score seven more hat-tricks to tie with Ronaldo.

How many goals does 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 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.

What record does Ronaldo hold? ›

Ronaldo holds the records for most appearances (183), goals (140) and assists (42) in the Champions League, goals in the European Championship (14), international goals (128) and international appearances (206).

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.

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