September 05, (THEWILL) – The football maestro and Portuguese legend, Cristiano Ronaldo, once said, “Goals are like ketchup – when they come, they come all at once.” There was no truer way to describe the professional career of the five-time Ballon d’Or goal-scoring machine who stamped the incontrovertible authority of his status as the best male footballer in the world on September 1 when he became the outright record scorer in men’s international football history.
Ronaldo exceeded the previous mark of Iran’s Ali Daei, who scored 109 goals in 148 international games for Iran between 1993 and 2006. A tall forward known for his heading ability, Daei played most of his career in Asia, with a short and unsuccessful stint in the Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin. The striker, who was nicknamed “Shahriar,”, which translates to “King”, by Iranians and his fans, also featured in two World Cup games but failed to find the back of the net in either.
THEWILL reported that Ronaldo had tied the 15-year-old goal-scoring record of Daei at the end of the European continental competition this year. So, on Wednesday night, Ronaldo went into the match against Ireland, knowing what was at stake for his legacy. It seemed he was going to have to wait for another match to break that record after he had a 15th minute penalty and an 88th minute free-kick saved by the Irish 18-year-old goalkeeper, Gavin Bazunu, and the clock was ticking towards an Irish victory in the Matchday four fixture of the UEFA Group A 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifying series.
However, with 11 minutes to the end of the encounter, Ronaldo carved out a new niche for himself in world football when he rose the highest to direct a header beyond the reach of Bazunu. That goal in front of the home crowd was electrifying as it broke Irish hearts, broke the world record and confirmed the absolute genius of the Portuguese superstar. Yet, Ronaldo was far from finished as he further cemented his status with another goal from another header in injury time to send the fans in the stands at the São João de Venda Stadium into delirium.
The brace brought his Portugal tally to a spectacular 111 in all as the 36-year-old began to put some distance between himself and the previous record already in the game of goal-scoring numbers where he now reigned supreme. At the moment, there is no noticeable waning in his abilities and there is no out-jumping the striker, as the two goals revealed, when it comes to going for the headers that account for a fair portion of the 111 goals attributed to his brilliant career at the international level from the very first goal in 2004.
Although he debuted as a spirited 18-year-old for Portugal, a year earlier than his first goal, in an August 20, 2003 tie against Kazakhstan, the skills and talents that were going to establish his name in the pantheon of football excellence were already apparent. He did not score as coach Luiz Felipe Scolari must have hoped when he introduced Ronaldo in place of the legendary Portuguese forward Luis Figo, yet there was an immediate spark about him that football pundits noted of the number 16, who had just signed for Manchester United and was man of the match, even as a substitute.
What began that day in August, 2003 came to a head in September 2021 with his record-setting brace in an extraordinary story of goal-scoring that began with Ronaldo’s first Portugal goal against Greece. It was in the country’s opening match at the UEFA EURO 2004 that was hosted in Portugal. Although Ronaldo was responsible for a penalty during the match when he brought down Yourkas Seitaridis inside the area and the hosts lost the game 2-1, it was beyond mere coincidence that he opened his international goal-scoring with a header in that match for their only goal.
What followed from that point until Wednesday when he also equalled Sergio Ramos’ European record for men’s caps with his 180th Portugal appearance, was an incredibly stunning record of finding the back of the net for his country, at least once in every calendar year since then. His most prolific years include 14 goals in 10 games in 2019 and 13 in 13 back in 2016. His goal-scoring for Portugal has been more severely felt by Lithuania and Sweden, against whom he has hit seven, the most for single countries. He saved the best for the record as he had never scored against Ireland until Wednesday.
In World Cup competitions, Ronaldo, who is second only to the German Miroslav Klose, went to his first ever World Cup in 2006 in Germany as first choice on the right wing. In the qualifiers, Ronaldo had already scored seven times in 12 games. He opened his account on the biggest of stages with a penalty in Portugal’s second group game against IR Iran, which they won 2-0. Portugal reached the semi-finals of the competition before they were eliminated by France. However, Ronaldo had entered into an uncharacteristic drought and did not score any other goal in Germany.
In fact, it will be over 16 months before his goal-scoring in the colours of the A Selecao will return, although he was blazing the trail with an imperial goal-scoring form in Real Madrid’s La Liga side. In the first-ever World Cup to be held on the African continent, Ronaldo captained the Portuguese national team to South Africa 2010. He recovered his scoring boots only in the second Group fixture, when he scored and provided an assist in their 7-0 hammering of Korea DPR. It was also the first time a live football game was broadcast on North Korean television, beaming Ronaldo’s fame across Asia once again.
In 2014, Ronaldo breezed past another Portuguese legend, Pedro Miguel Carreiro Resendes, known popularly simply as Pauleta, the first Portugal national team player to never have played in the Portuguese top level of domestic football. Portugal were in a crunch and facing the prospect of not qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They required to qualify through a playoff against Sweden, but Swedish icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s two goals were about to give the Swedes the upper hand except that Ronaldo scored one of his nine hat tricks for Portugal. At the time, his tally eclipsed the record 47 goals of Pauleta.
There was always the question of international glory whenever Ronaldo was compared to the other football greats. In the class of incomparable football excellence, the Brazilian Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known affectionately as Pele, and the Argentine Diego Armando Maradona were peerless not only because of their individual talents, but also for winning trophies for their countries. It was going to take until the EURO competition of 2016 to bring Ronaldo into that notch. The striker’s commitment and efficiency took his team all the way to the final. Although he was forced off early after a clash with Dimitri Payet in the final against France, he maintained an active presence on the sidelines to urge on his team to victory and finally joined in lifting the trophy for Portugal.
In a series of firsts, the numbers that support the incalculable genius of the 36-year-old footballer are staggering. For a prolific goal-scorer as he has continuously proven himself to be, there is no way to adequately describe a career with goals as regular and consistent as Ronaldo’s other than exceptional. Besides scoring many goals at the club-level, where he has set records as well, Ronaldo has scored 33 goals in World Cup qualifiers, 31 in European Championship qualifiers and 19 in International friendlies. In European Championships, he has 14; in World Cups 7, in UEFA Nations League 5, and 2 in the Confederations Cup.
These have made him the highest goal-scorer at EURO final tournaments with 5 goals, the most appearance at a EURO final tournament appearances with 25 caps, the most EURO finals goals with 14 goals, the only player to score three goals at multiple EUROs which came in the continental competitions in 2012, in 2016 and in 2020, the most appearances at the EURO and World Cup finals combined at 42 caps together with the most EURO and World Cup finals goals combined which currently stands at 20. It almost seems as if you cannot talk about Ronaldo in any way except in the superlative.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA President recognised this after Ronaldo’s feat on Wednesday against Ireland when he said, “This achievement rewards an outstanding career of almost two decades representing your country at the highest level, which speaks of your tremendous commitment and dedication to your art and your incredible passion for football.
“In the process of breaking the record for the number of goals in men’s international football, you have become not only a national hero but an international icon and a role model for aspiring players all around the world. Your skills and consistent drive for improvement deserves global acclaim and admiration. Parabéns, Cristiano!”
Ronaldo will seek to continue to write his story in the Portuguese jersey on Tuesday when they take on Azerbaijan in match day six fixture of Group A Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers at the Baku Olimpiya Stadium. There is no telling how far he will extend the 15-year-old record he broke or how many more goals are in his locker for Portuga, but one thing is certain: He has nothing left to prove only to continue to extend what has been one of the finest goal-scoring careers in football’s shining history.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
