Breaking down Cristiano Ronaldo’s international goalscoring record
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Cristiano Ronaldo became the all-time leading international goalscorer when he bagged a brace in Portugal’s 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Ireland last weekend.
In true Ronaldo style, he left it late to win the match for his country – equalising on 89 minutes before scoring the winning goal in the sixth minute of added time.
The 36-year-old now has 111 international goals to his name and sits two goals clear of the legendary Iran striker Ali Daei.
So, how did Ronaldo achieve this amazing feat? Let’s take a look at a breakdown of his international goalscoring record.
- Inside the box: 90
- Outside the box: 21
- Penalties: 14
- Direct free-kicks: 10
- Headers: 28
- Right foot: 58
- Left foot: 25
As you can see, 21 of Ronaldo’s 111 international goals have come from outside of the penalty area (19%).
The iconic forward has also netted ten direct free-kicks for Portugal over the years (9%), as well as 14 penalties (13%).
Remarkably, 28 of Ronaldo’s goals for Portugal have been scored with his head (25%). He has also bagged 25 goals with his so-called “weaker” foot (23%).
CR7 made his international debut all the way back in August 2003, facing Kazakhstan in friendly at the age of just 18 years, 6 months and 15 days.
He then scored his first goal for Portugal against Greece in the opening match of Euro 2004, going on to score again against the Netherlands in the semi-finals.
Fast-forward to today, and Ronaldo now has 14 goals in 25 European Championship appearances, along with nine assists.
He has also bagged seven goals and two assists in 17 World Cup games, famously netting a hat-trick against Spain in Russia in 2018.
Most players retire well before they reach Ronaldo’s current age. However, it doesn’t look as though the Portuguese icon will be hanging his boots up anytime soon.
Having recently secured a move back to Manchester United, he is set for more successful years at the very top of the game.
Ronaldo’s record of 111 goals in 180 international appearances is nothing short of remarkable. Still, he isn’t finished yet.
Let’s face it – nobody would be shocked if he surpassed 200 international caps and continued to add to his phenomenal tally.
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