Cristiano Ronaldo: All-time leading scorer in men's international football

How many goals did Ronaldo score for Portugal?

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a world-record 146 goals for Portugal before announcing his international retirement on 5 November 2026. He also bows out as the all-time leading appearance-maker in men's international football, having played 234 games, eclipsing the previous record of 196 held by Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa against Liechtenstein on 23 March 2023 – and marking the occasion with two goals.

When did Ronaldo break the international goals record?

Ronaldo broke the world record for international goals when he scored twice against the Republic of Ireland in Portugal's European Qualifier in Faro-Loulé on 1 September 2021, aged 36. He surpassed the existing world-record mark set by former Iran forward Ali Daei – the first man to claim a century of international goals. Lionel Messi joined the elite group on 28 March 2023.

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Did Ronaldo score every year after making his Portugal debut?

Ronaldo didn't score in his first two appearances, in 2003, but following that registered for 23 years running, including 2026. That is good enough to constitute a world record, beating the mark of Robbie Keane, who struck every year for the Republic of Ireland between 1998 and 2016.

Leading international scorers

146 Cristiano Ronaldo* (Portugal) – 234 appearances
126 Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 208 appearances
108 Ali Daei (Iran) – 148 appearances
95 Sunil Chhetri (India) – 157 appearances
94 Romelu Lukaku* (Belgium) – 135 appearances
92 Robert Lewandowski* (Poland) – 170 appearances
91 Harry Kane* (England) – 125 appearances
89 Mokhtar Dahari (Malaysia) – 142 appearances
85 Ali Mabkhout* (United Arab Emirates) – 115 appearances
84 Ferenc Puskás (Hungary) – 89 appearances

*still active

Data correct as of 5 November 2026