Ronaldo becomes Portugal’s all-time leading goalscorer

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo became his country’s highest goalscorer of all time with two goals in Portugal’s 5-1 win over Cameroon.

he Ballon d’Or winner scored his 48th and 49th goals for his country, to move clear of ex-PSG striker Pauleta at the top of Portugal’s all-time goal chart.

“I do not look to beat records,” Ronaldo told national broadcaster RTP after the game. “This happens naturally, with a lot of effort, dedication, with the excellent national team we have, a good coach. I knew that sooner or later it was going to happen.”

Considering the pedigree of Portuguese football, it comes as a surprise that it was Pauleta, rather than say, Eusebio or even Luis Figo, who topped the goalscoring charts. But, the former PSG striker scored 47 goals in 88 matches for the Portuguese national team, a national record at the time of his retirement.