Named the best player in the world by FIFA five times, Ronaldo is one of the greatest strikers of all time
He is the leading scorer in the history of men’s international football with 115 goals
Should Portugal qualify for this year’s FIFA World Cup, he could participate in his tenth consecutive major tournament
From Real Madrid to Manchester United to Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo has broken records everywhere he has played.
Currently the top scorer in the history of men's football with 807 goals, the two-time winner of The Best FIFA Men’s Player award also holds the record for the most UEFA Champions League titles (five), and the most goals scored in the competition’s history (141).
First capped for Portugal on 20 August 2003, CR7 has also torn up the record books on the international scene. Now as A Seleção das Quinas prepare to face Turkey in their FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ play-off semis, we bring you the numbers behind some of his record-breaking exploits with the national team.
115 With 115 goals in the famous red and green, Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football. His brace against Republic of Ireland in September 2021 during Qatar 2022™ qualifying enabled the 37-year-old to finally surpass IR Iran legend Ali Daei, who held the record for 15 years with 109 goals. Between his first international goal against Greece UEFA at EURO 2004 and his most recent against Luxembourg in December 2021, more than 17 years have passed, making him the model of longevity.
184 Ronaldo now has the most international appearances of any European player, ahead of Spain’s Sergio Ramos (180) and is among the most capped players on the planet. Indeed, if Portugal qualify for Qatar 2022, CR7 could surpass Malaysia's Soh Chin Ann's world record of 195 caps by the end of the year.
14 The Madeira native is the leading scorer in the history of the EURO with 14 goals (across five editions) ahead of Michel Platini (nine). The Portuguese is also the record holder for the number of games played in this competition (25) and the only outfield player to have graced five editions. Even more impressively, he has scored at least once in each edition since 2004, finishing joint top-scorer at EURO 2020 alongside Patrik Schick (five apiece).
9 Ronaldo is the only player in history to have scored at least one goal in the finals of nine consecutive major tournaments. Since 2004, he has found the target at four World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018) and five EUROs (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020). Should he and Portugal grace this year’s World Cup, the Manchester United striker could well extend that record to ten.
7 Captain of his country since 2007, Cristiano Ronaldo is the active Portuguese player with the most FIFA World Cup goals: seven, across four editions. His tally is only bettered by the legendary Eusebio (nine), a record Ronaldo could yet claim at Qatar 2022. With 54 goals in his last 49 internationals, the evergreen marksman shows no sign of waning, and you would not bet against him rounding off a magnificent career by emulating the Black Panther’s proud record.