Breaking Down Cristiano Ronaldo’s 123 Goals for Portugal Amid Retirement Talk

• Portuguese veteran Cristiano Ronaldo is still going strong at 38 years old
• He has broken almost every international football record with the Selecao
• Sports Brief breaks down all the goals the veteran has scored for his country

It is hard to fathom that Cristiano Ronaldo has been playing football professionally since 2002 and is still going strong over 20 years later.

He has played for some of the world's most prestigious football clubs and won plenty of trophies and individual awards.

Internationally, Ronaldo has led Portugal to glory a few times, often practically singlehandedly.

Ronaldo's club career is arguably second to none - hundreds of goals, plenty of trophies, and a lot of awards.

He made his professional debut on 14 August 2002 for Sporting CP in his home country and a year later, he was playing for Manchester United.

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In August 2003, he made his first appearance for Portugal against Kazakhstan in an international friendly match. He came on for the great Rui Costa at half-time and the rest, as they say, is history.

Ronaldo went on to almost break every record in international football and could add to it as he is still playing at 38.

Ronaldo's career with Portugal so far

The Al-Nassr striker scored his first goal for Portugal in a 1-2 loss against Greece in the 2004 European Championship.

Since then, he has been a regular for the Selecao and has played in five World Cups and five European Championships.

The Real Madrid icon has scored 123 goals for his country in 201 appearances. That is a record in international football.

He surpassed Iran forward, Ali Daei when he scored twice against the Republic of Ireland on September 1, 2021. Daei had scored 109 goals for Iran and was the first player in the men's game to reach 100 goals for his country.

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Ronaldo's rival, Lionel Messi joined the exclusive club in March 2023 with Argentina.

Top 5 leaders in international goals

Breaking down Ronaldo's goals

The 38-year-old has scored 10 hat-tricks for Portugal and 21 braces for his country. 58 of his goals have come from home, 36 away and 29 in neutral territory.

Ronaldo's favourite opponents

All stats courtesy of UEFA.

The former Sporting CP forward has scored in major competitions, too. He has scored 14 in the European Championships, eight at the World Cup, seven in the Nations League, 36 in Euro qualifying, 36 in World Cup qualifying, two in the Confederations Cup, and 20 in friendlies.

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The ex-Juventus star holds the record for most international goals, European Championships, and European Championship qualifying, and he remains the only player who has scored in five World Cups.

Ronaldo, who turns 39 in February, will be in action for Portugal in their European Championship qualifiers against Slovakia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. He showed glimpses of decline but looks great now and could break more records in the next few months.

These are just stats for his international career. He has over 700 goals in his club career.

'Most beautiful' footballer picks Ronaldo as GOAT

Meanwhile, football beauty, Ana Maria Marković added her voice to the timeless debate over who holds the all-time title of the greatest footballer between Ronaldo and Messi.

The Croatian-born star, renowned as the world's 'most beautiful footballer,' expressed her view on which of the two football icons she believes should claim the coveted title.