Cristiano Ronaldo currently holds the record for the most goals in international football with 117 goals in 189 appearances for Portugal. He has broken a number of records with Portugal and has drawn a comparison with the great Eusebio. Ronaldo has shared a good relationship with all his national coaches and has justified their dependence on him on many an occasion. At the international level, he helped Portugal to win their only major tournament at Euro 2016. He became the leading goalscorer on September 2, 2021, and still remains the only player to score 100 goals in international football.
2003: The Perfect Platform
Ronaldo made his debut for the national team as a second-half substitute against Kazakhistan on the 20th of August 2003. A fortnight later he made his full debut in a friendly. Ronaldo shone for Sporting Lisbon against Manchester United which led the opposition players to plead with then manager Sir Alex Ferguson to sign the youngster. He did sign the Portuguese and their relationship went on to develop into a father-son one. At the international level, Luiz Felipe Scolari was Portugal’s coach. Both coaches at the club and international level helped Ronaldo develop into one of the greatest football players of all time.
Euro 2004: A Star is Born
Ronaldo’s competitive debut came at the 2004 European Championship, staged in Portugal. The then 18-year-old gave away a penalty five minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute against Greece as the hosts fell to a shock 2-1 defeat in the tournament opener, although it was Ronaldo who scored the late consolation goal, rising well to head in a corner. Those 45 minutes were enough to persuade Scolari that Ronaldo already belonged at this level. Barring injury or rest, over the next 15 years, Ronaldo would never again fail to feature in Portugal’s starting line-up.
World Cup 2006: Continued Ascension
Luis Figo retired in the build-up to the World Cup with Ronaldo taking up the mantle of the most important player on the team. He went on to score seven goals as they breezed through their qualifying campaign. His best performance in the campaign was a brace against Russia in Lisbon, a year after his sublime performance against Manchester United. Ronaldo played an important part in their best-ever World Cup performance which ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat to France. The Portuguese talisman was on the receiving end of a horrific challenge by Khalid Boulahrouz. Ronaldo was forced off with the Dutch player somehow remaining on the pitch.
Euro 2008: Captain CR7
At the tender age of 22, Ronaldo was handed the captain’s armband ahead of Euro 2008. He also took over the iconic No 7 jersey from the No 17 he wore earlier. Once again, he dominated all opposition in qualifying, scoring eight goals in the process. Portugal secured comfortable wins over Turkey and Czech Republic before being rested against Switzerland. Their tournament ended in a 3-2 loss to Germany in the quarterfinals. After the tournament, it emerged that Ronaldo was playing with an injury and underwent ankle surgery immediately after the tournament.
World Cup 2010: Goals dry up
The premature end of Portugal’s participation at Euro 2008 also signaled the end of the Scolari era as national team coach. The Brazilian returned to club football, taking over at Chelsea, and he was replaced by Carlos Queiroz. The appointment of the new Selecionador was initially met with enthusiasm in Portugal, in particular in relation to his potential impact on Ronaldo. Queiroz was credited with playing a leading role in CR7’s spectacular progress at Old Trafford, culminating in him collecting his first Ballon d’Or/FIFA World Player award in 2008. As it turned out, Queiroz’s ultra-defensive game plan for the Seleção proved disastrous for Ronaldo.
Euro 2012: Ronaldo bounces back
Paulo Bento had been a former teammate of Ronaldo’s at Sporting and the two of them immediately hit it off. “Paulo Bento the coach is exactly the same as Paulo Bento the player,” said Ronaldo. Tactically, the major change was making sure Ronaldo always had a strike partner instead of playing as a lone man up front, despite Portugal’s lack of high-quality options in that position. Be it alongside Hugo Almeida or Hélder Postiga, the recuperation of the captain’s performances in a Seleção shirt was instant and startling, scoring 7 goals in the 8 remaining qualification games, including a brace in the memorable 6-2 thumping of Bosnia in the second leg of the playoff to book Portugal’s place at Euro 2012.
World Cup 2014: Carrying Portugal On His Back
Ronaldo carried Portugal during the World Cup qualifying as well as the tournament. After bailing the team out in Northern Ireland with a second-half hattrick, they dropped points and were forced to a playoff for the World Cup against Sweden. In the ensuing playoff, Ronaldo scored a hattrick in the second half to help them qualify for the World Cup. He sustained an injury in the build-up to the tournament and although he scored in the win over Ghana, Portugal exited the tournament in the group stage.
Euro 2016: “The Happiest Day Of My Career”
For all of Ronaldo’s incredible accomplishments thus far, for club and country, it was difficult to pinpoint a truly defining moment to cement his greatness in the world game. The whole of Portugal held its collective breath at kick-off on 10 July 2016, craving for this to be that moment. Like all great competitors, Ronaldo did not dwell on his misfortune, sensing he could still be useful to his team. In the mixed zone after the match, Cédric confided how Ronaldo had delivered a stirring speech at halftime, telling the team they would triumph.
Nations League 2019: That Winning Feeling
Ronaldo’s first match in the Nations League was therefore the semi-final, against Switzerland at the Estádio do Dragão, and the captain wasted no time imprinting his name on the new competition. The Swiss matched the hosts for most of the match, and the difference-maker was once again CR7, bagging a wonderful hat-trick to propel Portugal to the final and extend the most goals in international football. His late brace, a first-time shot on the run from the top of the box, followed by a trademark cut inside from the left and curling shot into the far corner, contradicted notions that Ronaldo was finally on the wane. Four days later and the Portugal captain and the nation were celebrating conquering Europe for the second time in three years after beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final.
Euro 2020: Ronaldo, the goal machine
Hopes were high that Portugal would make a strong fist of defending their crown, especially as the squad was furnished with more talent than the one which had actually lifted the trophy five years earlier, with the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, João Félix, Diogo Jota and Rúben Dias having established their reputations as top-class players in the world’s biggest clubs. Alas, the Seleção had a forgettable tournament, winning only their opening match against Hungary and falling in the round-of-16 after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Belgium. Most of the aforementioned new generation of Portuguese stars were off their game, but the captain did not disappoint. Ronaldo’s five goals in the three group matches were enough to see him finish the competition as the joint top scorer and extend his record for the most goals in international football. His ice-cool conversion of two penalties in a thrilling 2-2 draw against World Champions France averted a group stage exit for the Seleção, but that was as good as it got for Portugal.
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