Cristiano Ronaldo goes past Ali Daei’s 109 goals, sets new record for most goals in international football

Portugal football team captain Cristiano Ronaldo's 127 goals make him the player with the most goals in international football.

Cristiano Ronaldo initially broke the record for the most goals in international football after his brace in a 2-1 win against Ireland in 2021.

The former Manchester United forward surpassed former Iran center-forward Ali Daei for most goals in international football. Daei’s record of 109 goals stood untouchable for 15 years, since 2006, until Ronaldo matched the figure at the re-scheduled Euro 2020.

58 - Against Luxembourg this evening, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 58th hat-trick of his professional career and his 10th for Portugal. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/qAFsZO2Slq

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 12, 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo, who made his debut for the Portugal national team in a 1–0 win over Kazakhstan, is the highest appearance maker for the Euro 2016 winners. During his 181st international cap on October 9, Ronaldo broke the European record for most-capped players in men’s international football which former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos held since 2020. The Portuguese star continues to represent his national side after the FIFA 2022 World Cup and has become the first player to reach 200 international caps for his country.

Ronaldo's major rival and FIFA World Cup 2022-winning captain, Lionel Messi is third on this list with 104 goals. The former Barcelona captain had earlier surpassed Brazil icon Pele to become the most prolific international goalscorer from South America and is now the first South American footballer to have more than 100 international goals.

Meanwhile, the Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri is in the fourth spot on this list. The tally of Sunil Chhetri's international goals has now gone up to 92 goals.

Most international goals in football

Highest active goalscorers in international football

Featured photo: AFP / BERNADETT SZABO