Cristiano Ronaldo Sets New International Goal-Scoring Record – Is He The GOAT Now?

Last week, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo rewrote history after surpassing Iranian striker Ali Daei on the all-time international goal leaderboard. The previous record was set by the Iranian ace in 2006, after scoring his 109th international goal versus Costa Rica. However, this record now belongs to Ronaldo — a constant centerpiece in the “G.O.A.T debate” alongside Argentina’s Lionel Messi. The feat was set in stone after Ronaldo slotted home two headers to claim Portugal a late, come-from-behind, 2-1 victory in their World Cup qualifying match against Ireland. The international goal-scoring record now stands at 111 goals. 

How did it happen? It was a turbulent start for the Portuguese side as Ireland’s John Egan set the pace by lobbing a header past Portugal’s keeper Rui Patricio right before half-time. The second-half saw a determined Irish defense stand their ground until the 89th minute when Ronaldo brilliantly placed a header in the back of the net — record achieved. Then, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Ronaldo stormed Ireland’s box with another, nearly identical, powerfully placed header to win the game and bring the international record to 111 goals.   

It seems to be yet another historic year in the making for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner as he recently completed his return to Manchester United and set a new goal-scoring record, all at the age of 36. This feat will undoubtedly fuel the Ronaldo-Messi debate further, but for this week, Ronaldo deserves credit where credit is due.