Football’s greatest goalscorer

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has ensured that his legacy as one of men’s football’s greatest ever goalscorers will live on for years to come after equaling Ali Daei’s world record for the most goals on the international stage. KICK OFF’s Liam Bekker reflects on the numbers behind the legendary forward’s remarkable rise to the top of the all-time scoring charts, mapping the journey along the way, and looks at the contenders who may one day challenge for a spot on the throne.

On 23 June 2021, 17 years and 11 days after scoring his first senior goal for Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo equaled the world record for the most international goals by a male footballer when he netted twice during the Seleção’s 2–2 UEFA European Championship group stage draw with France.

Upon netting his second goal of the night against the world champions, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner drew level with Ali Daei on the all-time scorers’ list with 109 international goals in 179 appearances, which saw him match the previously insurmountable record that had stood since March 2006.

Ronaldo was ultimately unable to claim the record outright during Euro 2020 after Portugal, who were reigning champions, were eliminated by Belgium in the Round of 16, but took his place next to the former Iran striker in the all-time standings after scoring five goals across his nation’s three group stage matches, which included strikes against Germany, France, and Hungary.

His relentless pursuit of goals and glory was recognised by the longstanding holder of the world record, who was among the first to praise the Juventus star on the remarkable achievement.

“Congratulations to Cristiano, who is now one goal away from breaking the men’s international goal scoring record,” Daei posted on his Instagram account after seeing his record equaled.

“I am honoured that this remarkable achievement will belong to Ronaldo – great champion of football and caring humanist who inspires and impacts lives throughout the world. Vamos!”

Ronaldo’s journey to his latest, and perhaps most remarkable career achievement, took flight in 2004 when he starred in a Man of the Match performance on debut for Portugal, before he notched his first goal for the national team seven games later during a Euro

2004 clash against Greece.

That strike, which came in the form of an injury-time header, was soon followed by the heartbreak of defeat to the same opposition in the final of the competition, but set the then 19-year-old on his way to becoming the most prolific forward in the history of international football.

In the years to come following his maiden goal, Ronaldo continued to score with frequent regularity for his country and in 2014, at the age of 29, he broke his former teammate Pauleta’s then-national team record of 47 goals with a brace against Cameroon in a friendly clash.

His 50th goal followed three months later on the occasion of his 114th cap before he embarked a remarkable run of form which saw him score his next 50 goals in just 51 appearances in the famous maroon and green strip, winning two major trophies along the way.

In doing so, he joined Daei as the only other male player to have netted 100+ goals in international football and set a clear marker that it was a question of when, rather than if, he would take ownership of the alltime record.

That question was swiftly answered at the Euros where Ronaldo’s five goals in the proverbial Group of Death were enough for him to equal his predecessors tally and ensure that his, and his name alone, would soon sit atop the world’s goalscoring charts.

“I don’t follow the records, the records follow me…”

During a 2019 interview with British broadcast journalist and television celebrity Piers Morgan, Ronaldo was quoted as saying that “I don’t follow the records, the records follow me…” in response to questions surrounding the remarkable success he has enjoyed for his clubs and country throughout his career.

Indeed, that statement holds truth for the former Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United and Real Madrid star, whose quest to break the world goalscoring record with Portugal has been accompanied by a succession of honours and accolades on the international stage. Ronaldo’s recordequaling 109th goal – and the inevitable record-breaking 110th strike for his country – will undoubtedly be regarded as one of his greatest achievements, but the veteran forward has left his mark in countless other chapters of the beautiful game’s history books as well.

During the recently-concluded Euros, he overtook France legend Michel Platini to become the tournament’s highest-scoring player with 14 goals at the finals, to add to the record he already held for the most goals in qualifying (31) for the continental competition.

He is the only player to have both played

in and scored at five separate editions of the Euros and famously captained the Seleção to the trophy in 2016 – a triumph that saw the nation lift a major trophy for the first time in their history.

Unsurprisingly, the Madeira-born star holds the majority of the records for his country as well. He is Portugal’s mostcapped player with 179 appearances to his name – at least 44 more than any other player – has scored more hat-tricks (9) than any other striker in the nation’s history and, at the age of 36 years and 130 days, became the oldest player to score at a major tournament for his homeland during the Euros, to name but a few.

His record-breaking footprint also extends beyond the borders of Portugal and Europe and he lays claim to the honour of being the first and only footballer to have scored at 12 consecutive international tournaments, including goals at five Euros, four FIFA World Cups, the FIFA Confederations Cup and two UEFA Nations Leagues between 2004 and 2021.

When can Ronaldo break the world record?

Despite celebrating his 36th birthday in February, an age at which most footballers are deemed to be nearing the ends of their careers, Ronaldo is showing little sign of slowing down and will almost certainly represent and captain Portugal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar next year, provided his country qualifies for the showpiece tournament.

The Juventus star could be afforded the opportunity to break Daei’s record long before the global event commences, however, as the recently-dethroned European champions are expected to be back in action in September when they are scheduled to face the Republic of Ireland and Azerbaijan in their first two qualifiers for the competition, either side of a friendly internationali against hosts Qatar.

Ronaldo, who has netted against a record-44 unique nations across his llustrious international career, could break the record on 1 September against the Irish – one of the few countries he is yet to score against – but will know that a goal against either of Portugal’s three opponents during the next international break will see him earn the undisputed acclaim that comes with being international football’s greatestever goalscorer.

Can C anyone catch Ronaldo?

When Daei scored his 109th and final goal for Iran in 2006, no other male footballer had ever netted more than 90 goals for their respective countries, and it seemed improbable at the time that any player would be able to overtake the former Bayern Munich star’s remarkable tally in international football.

That was the case until it became apparent that Ronaldo’s prolific goalscoring ability would be matched by his superhuman longevity, and it soon became widely accepted that he would not only serve as a contender for the honour, but that he was the obvious heir to the title of world record holder.

With the Portugal star having now secured one hand on that record, and with no indication that he will retire any time soon, he appears poised to set an even greater benchmark for would-be challengers to pursue in the future.

However, despite the mammoth target that Ronaldo has, and ultimately will leave

behind as part of his remarkable legacy, it is impossible to state with certainty that the legendary forward could one day find himself leapfrogged at the top of the charts, particularly with a number of active strikers all making impressive strides on the international stage.

Among them, 30-year-old United Arab Emirates star Ali Mabkhout is the closest competitor to Ronaldo with 76 goals in 92 appearances and is a genuine candidate to potentially challenge for the record if he is able to match the evergreen forward’s physical longevity into his mid-to-late thirties.

Meanwhile, the likes of Sunil Chhetri, long-time rival Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski all trail narrowly behind Mabkhout but are unlikely to rein in Ronaldo before the end of their respective international careers, although Belgium star Romelu Lukaku may have some say in the future of the record.

At 28 years of age, the Inter Milan striker is the youngest of any of the top 25 players in the all-time list and is entering his so-called prime years for the Red Devils. Lukaku boasts 63 goals in 96 caps for the world’s highest-ranked nation and is scoring at a greater goals-per-game ratio than Ronaldo or any of the active players between them, bar Mabkhout. However, he and the remainder of the chasing pack will also have to keep a close check over their shoulders at two next-generation strikers who are making a big impact on the game, namely Norway’s Erling Håland and France’s Kylian Mbappé.

Aged 20 and 22 respectively, it could be at least a decade before the duo get anywhere near Ronaldo’s record, but early indications are that they possess the qualities to one day challenge for the throne.

Håland has scored seven goals in 12 appearances for Norway and boasts an equally impressive return at club level for Borussia Dortmund, while Paris SaintGermain star Mbappé is remarkably closing in on 50 appearances for Les Blues despite his tender age, with 17 goals to his name along the way.

Both players have confessed to have idolized Ronaldo during their formative years but it remains to be seen whether they, or anyone else for that matter, will be able to match his legendary goalscoring achievements.