Prior to the match, the Portugal national team faced Armenia in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The Iberians crushed their opponent with a score of 5:0, and Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the match.
Cristiano RonaldoThe forward of Al-Nassr scored one goal in each half, bringing his total to 139 and 140 goals for the Seleção (in 222 matches).
Thus, the 40-year-old striker updated his record for the national team for the number of goals scored, reports the statistical portal Squawka. Lionel Messi follows in second place, having scored 114 times for the Argentina national team (194 matches). It is worth noting that Cristiano has scored 10 goals in his last 10 matches for Portugal.
Interestingly, the rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi continues in terms of the number of goals scored in World Cup qualifying matches. After the duel with the Armenians, Cristiano has 38 goals — he is again ahead of Lionel, who has 36 goals (the day before, the Argentine also scored twice in the match against Venezuela). In the overall ranking of top scorers in World Cup qualifiers, the Portuguese is only behind Carlos Ruiz from Guatemala (39 goals).
Overall, Ronaldo has 941 career goals. Lionel Messi is second in total goals in history, having scored 879 times. The third place is held by Pelé, who has 762 successful strikes.
