Ronaldo’s Free Kick Struggles Continue on International Stage With Poor Showing at Euro 2024

Ronaldo’s Free Kick Struggles Continue on International Stage With Poor Showing at Euro 2024

Byron Pillay
updated at July 2, 2024 at 8:04 AM
In this article:
Cristiano Ronaldo logo
C. Ronaldo
Al Nassr FC logoFPortugal logo
Portugal logo
Portugal
Portugal
26
Slovenia logo
Slovenia
Slovenia
26
UEFA European Championship logo
UEFA EURO
Europe
Lionel Messi logo
L.Messi
Inter Miami CF logoFArgentina logo
  • Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 63 goals from free kicks during his career, but has struggled to score them in international tournaments
  • The Portugal veteran failed to find the back of the net from any of his numerous free kick attempts in the last 16 game against Slovenia
  • Ronaldo's one and only free kick goal in a major tournament came in the 2018 FIFA World Cup when he scored one against Spain

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Cristiano Ronaldo will go down as one of the greatest players of all time.

The Portuguese superstar has set many records over the years and is one of the most prolific free kick goal-scorers.

Cristiano Ronaldo suffered a bit of a frustrating night when it came to freekicks for Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo has only scored one free kick in 60 attempts in major tournaments for Portugal. Image: Patricia de Melo Moreira.
Source: Getty Images

Despite the success he’s experienced over the years, Ronaldo has struggled to find the back of the net from direct free kicks in major international tournaments.

BBC Sport reported that the Al-Nassr star has only scored once in a FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championship out of 60 attempts.

CR7’s lone free kick goal

The one and only time that Ronaldo has scored from a free kick happened all the way back in 2018.

The former Real Madrid superstar grabbed a late goal for Portugal in a World Cup fixture against Spain, ensuring they earned a 3-3 draw.

How many free kicks has Ronaldo scored?

While his record in major tournaments is dismal, Ronaldo’s career record is much better.

The Portuguese star has scored 63 goals directly from a free kick, slightly less than Lionel Messi’s tally.

The MessivsRonaldo App reported that the Argentinian star has scored 65 goals in his career.

Messi has scored one free kick every 16.4 games, while Ronaldo has scored one in every 19.5 games.

Terry upset with BBC over Ronaldo jibe

Sports Brief reported how John Terry criticised the BBC for the recent jibe at Portugal's Ronaldo.

The British broadcaster poked fun at the Al-Nassr star after he had a penalty saved by Jan Oblak.

The broadcaster captioned the incident 'Misstiano Ronaldo', something Terry did not find funny.

Authors
Byron Pillay photo
Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.