Evergreen and still setting records at 40 years of age.
Cristiano Ronaldo continues to deliver at the highest levels of international soccer after guiding Portugal to the final of the Nations League.
Ronaldo captained the team and scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Germany in their semifinal on Wednesday to set up a showdown Sunday with Spain.
The goal – Ronaldo’s 137th for Portugal – extended his record as the leading scorer in men's international soccer. He broke the record as a 36-year-old by scoring twice in a European qualifier against Ireland in September 2021. That took his tally to 111 goals in 180 games for Portugal, surpassing the previous mark by Iran's Ali Daei.
Before tucking away Nuno Mendes’ cross for a tap-in against Germany, Ronaldo had gone close with a header, while he was also just inches from breaking the deadlock after the halftime break.
His performance was a timely reminder for any teams playing at the Club World Cup that he’s potentially available to join them for the tournament starting in the United States on June 14.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino previously suggested Ronaldo could switch to one of the 32 participating clubs because of a unique transfer window created for the tournament.
Ronaldo, who’s still contracted to Saudi team Al-Nassr until the end of June, has been linked with several of the particpating clubs, including Brazil’s Palmeiras and Wydad of Morocco, even though that club is banned by FIFA from registering new signings.
A switch to Al-Nassr’s bitter Riyadh rival Al-Hilal – the one Saudi club that qualified – has been mooted as a short-term solution to having Ronaldo play at the Club World Cup, where his great rival Lionel Messi will be playing with Inter Miami.
FIFA would welcome the boost Ronaldo’s presence can provide for ticket sales at the tournament, but such a switch to a bitter local rival for a short period would be unthinkable for players in Europe’s leagues.
Both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal are among the four big Saudi clubs backed by the country’s Public Investment Fund, which has a 75% stake in each. The PIF may put the national interest above that of Al-Nassr and strive to keep Ronaldo representing Saudi interests at the Club World Cup.
On Thursday, FIFA announced PIF as an “ official partner ” of the Club World Cup. Saudi state money is also effectively funding the tournament's broadcasting deal that has largely backed its $1 billion prize fund being shared among the participants.
Ronaldo didn’t just add to his record goals-tally against Germany. Just by playing on Thursday he made his record-extending 220th international appearance.
Ronaldo's records by the numbers
137 – International goals scored
220 – International games played
6 – European Championship tournaments played
5 – European Championship tournaments scored (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020)
30 – European Championship match appearances
74 – European Championship appearances including qualifying
14 – European Championship goals
55 – European Championship goals including qualifying
5 – World Cup tournaments scored (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
52 – European Championship and World Cup appearances combined
22 – European Championship and World Cup goals combined
197 – UEFA club competition appearances
145 – UEFA club competition goals
140 – Champions League goals
67 – Goals in Champions League knockout games
17 – Goals in a Champions League season (2013-14)
183 – Champions League appearances
11 – Consecutive Champions League games scored
3 – Champions League finals scored
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Ciarán Fahey, The Associated Press
