Ronaldo ties Ali Daei for most goals scored in men's international soccer
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo tied former Iranian striker Ali Daei’s record of 109 goals in men’s international soccer with a pair of penalties in Wednesday’s Group F finale against France.
Ronaldo also added to his own benchmark at the European Championships, bringing his tournament total to an unparalleled 14 tallies.
Canadian women’s star Christine Sinclair holds the all-time international scoring record with 186 goals in 297 matches.
Daei set the men’s record in an astonishing 149 appearances – 29 fewer than Ronaldo needed to hit the milestone. However, Daei played the majority of his international matches in the less competitive Asian Football Confederation.
| # | Player | Country | Goals | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Daei | Iran | 109 | 149 |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 109 | 178 |
| 3 | Mokhtar Dahari | Malaysia | 89 | 143 |
| 4 | Ferenc Puskas | Hungary/Spain | 84 | 89 |
| 5 | Godfrey Chitalu | Zambia | 79 | 111 |
Ronaldo entered his fifth European Championship with the competition’s scoring record and the all-time men’s mark within view. The forward was previously tied with three-time Ballon d’Or winner Michel Platini on nine goals at the Euros.
The 36-year-old leads this year’s tournament with five goals, including three penalties.
