Cristiano Ronaldo claims scoring world record
Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has promised there is even more to come from him after he established himself as international soccer’s record goalscorer.
The first goal of two he headed home late in a World Cup qualifying win against Ireland was his 110th for Portugal – passing the 109 mark he shared with retired Iran striker Ali Daei.
Ronaldo then added a stoppage-time winning goal minutes later in the 2-1 victory to take his tally to 111 goals.
Earlier in the game, he had a penalty saved in the 15th minute but that did little to quell his appetite for more goals.
The 36-year-old Ronaldo, who finalised his return to Manchester United on Tuesday after leaving Juventus, was playing in his 180th game for Portugal.
“From all the records that I have broken during my career – and fortunately there have been a few – this one is very special for me and it’s certainly on the shelf of the achievements that make me truly proud,” Ronaldo wrote in an Instagram post.
“Thank you Portugal. Thanks to all my team-mates and opponents for making this journey so unforgettable. Let’s keep meeting inside the pitch in the years to come. I’m not closing the count just yet.”
Although that count will have to wait. Ronaldo was booked for taking his shirt off while celebrating the winning goal, meaning he will miss Portugal’s trip to Azerbaijan on Tuesday.
That may be good news for United, however, as Ronaldo is expected to play the first match of his second spell at the Premier League giants against Newcastle United on Saturday week.
The forward made his debut for the national team in 2003 and began his historic goal scoring run at the 2004 European Championship in a 2-1 loss to Greece in the group stage.
The only two men to net more than 100 times for their countries are Ronaldo and Daei, who made 149 appearances for Iran from 1993-2006 and played for German clubs Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin during his career.
The most prolific scorer in international soccer is 38-year-old Christine Sinclair of Canada, who scored her 187th goal at the Tokyo Olympics where she won gold last month.
Ronaldo, whose only title with Portugal came at Euro 2016, was top scorer at this year’s European Championship with five goals in four games.
He became the first player to score in five different editions of the continental tournament, taking his haul to 11 to overtake Michel Platini’s record of nine goals at Euros.
Ronaldo is also the top scorer in the history of the Champions League with 134 goals – 14 more than Lionel Messi.