Cristiano Ronaldo: What Records Does Portuguese Legend Hold in International Football?

• Cristiano Ronaldo has been scoring for fun in 2023 for both his country and his club
• The veteran bagged a brace in Portugal's latest match to reach 127 international goals
• Sports Brief looks at every record the Al-Nassr superstar holds in international football

Cristiano Ronaldo was on target in Portugal's 5-0 demolition of Bosnia and Herzegovina in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. The veteran forward bagged a brace as the Selecao scored all five goals in the first half.

The win gave Portugal an eighth straight victory in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, with Ronaldo having been instrumental in that run of form.

The veteran and his national team have already sealed their spot in the tournament.

The 38-year-old currently ranks second among the leading goal-scorers in the Euro 2024 qualifiers with nine goals, one behind the leader, Belgium's Romelu Lukaku.

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Furthermore, Ronaldo's two goals took his international tally to 127 in 203 appearances, a record in international football. The closest player is Iran's Ali Daei, with 109.

The 2016 Euro winner 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.

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 has been scoring for fun since.

Ronaldo's milestones in international football

Ronaldo became the first European to score 100 goals on the international stage. He did so in 2020 when Portugal beat Sweden 2-0 in a UEFA Nations League clash.

The 38-year-old broke Ferenc Puskas' record for the most international goals by a European player with his winning goal for Portugal against Morocco in the 2018 World Cup.

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Moreover, Ronaldo holds the record for the most caps in men's international football with 203. He overtook Sergio Ramos's record of 180 caps, then surpassed record holder Bader Al-Mutawa, who had 196 caps for Kuwait.

After scoring twice in Portugal's European Qualifier with the Republic of Ireland on September 1 2021, he passed Daei, who had scored 109 goals for Iran and was the first player in the men's game to reach 100 goals for his country.

Where Ronaldo scored his goals

The Al-Nassr star has scored in every competition imaginable. He's won the Euros and the Nations League but has not lifted the World Cup yet.

Here's a breakdown of all of Ronaldo's goals.

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Ronaldo's records in international football

Aside from being the leader in international goals scored, Ronaldo holds a few more records in international football.

The Real Madrid legend is the top scorer in Euros qualifying and tournaments with a total of 54 goals. He has also scored in the most European Championships (5).

In addition, no European has scored more goals (107) than the ex-Manchester United star. He also has the most goals in European World Cup qualifying with 36.

Finally, he has scored in the most World Cup tournaments (5).

All stats are courtesy of UEFA.

Bruno Fernandes sings Ronaldo's praises

Sports Brief also reported on Bruno Fernandes offering high praise to Ronaldo following their country's successful qualification for Euro 2024.

In the aftermath of their recent victory at the tournament, the Man United captain emphasised his national skipper's significant role in the squad.

Speaking after the Slovakia match, Fernandes highlighted how Ronaldo had contributed to elevating Portugal's spot in the global football arena.