Highest goal scorer in international football history- where does Cristiano Ronaldo rank in 2021?

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Highest goal scorer in international football history- where does Cristiano Ronaldo rank in 2021?
Highest goal scorer in international football history- where does Cristiano Ronaldo rank in 2021?

International football has long been the scale to measure a player’s greatness in football. What better way is there to make an impact for your country than scoring goals? And on this note, Alley Sport looks at who the highest goal scorer in international football history.

Who is the highest goal scorer in international football history?

Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest goal scorer in international football history with 111 goals. The Portugal international broke the record against Ireland.

Ronaldo, who recently signed for Manchester United in a €23million deal from Juventus, netted two goals to sink the Irish. And that too when he missed a penalty early on in the game. Portugal won the game 2-1 courtesy of two Ronaldo strikers in the 89th and the 96th minute.

Highest goalscorer in international football history. How many goals does Ronaldo have for Portugal?
Highest goalscorer in international football history. How many goals does Ronaldo have for Portugal? Photo Credits – Wallpaper Cave

The 36-year-old has broken the record of Ali Daei. The Iranian striker scored 109 times on the international stage in 149 games. It is safe to say Ronaldo has faced higher quality oppositions than Daei did during his long career.

The highest goal scorer in international football history- A breakdown of all Ronaldo goals for Portugal

Who did Ronaldo score his first international against? The answer to that question is Greece. Ronaldo made his mark at the 2004 UEFA Euros where he netted against the Greeks in a 2-1 group stage loss on June 12. They went on to lose the tournament against the same opponents in the final.

His 100th and 101st goal came against Sweden in a UEFA Nations League group game, in September 2020. He tied Daei when he netted a brace against France in the 2020 UEFA Euros. And his record-breaking brace came against Ireland on 2nd September. He has reached that feat in 180 matches.

Ronaldo has scored 14 penalties for Portugal, and Lithuania is his favourite opponent- having scored 7 in three against them. He is still behind Daei and Carlos Ruiz in goals for his team in FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and needs 7 to make that record his.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is the highest goalscorer in international football.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is the highest goalscorer in international football. (Reuters)

How many penalties has Ronaldo scored for Portugal?

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 14 penalties for Portugal, which is around 12% of his total goals tally for his country. He has missed a surprising 7 penalties, including one against Ireland on Wednesday.

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Bhaawan

Writing for the love of the game!