Welcome to FIFA.com news – Cristiano, Centurion Extraordinary

• Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101st goals for Portugal against Sweden
• He became the second man to join the international club of the century.
• We analyze their goals and their position in international football

Cristiano Ronaldo’s first international goal was a header in the 93rd minute from a Luis Figo cross, a moment that symbolically represented a passing of the torch. He was only 19 at the time and the goal was ultimately in vain, as Portugal lost 2-1 in their first UEFA EURO 2004 game against a Greek team that would claim the trophy.

Sixteen years later, Portugal’s number 7 reached the next milestone in his career against Sweden, bringing his tally to 100 and then 101 international goals. He is the only currently active male player to be in the club of the century and IR Iran’s Ali Daei, at 109, is the only other man in history to have scored more.

With the next continental showdown just around the corner and the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup ™ in two years, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to break the record. For now, we highlight his 101 goals and his position in international soccer.

The most influential Portuguese player

Portugal enjoyed its best position in a World Cup in Eusebio’s time, finishing third in England 1966. Its golden generation of Luis Figo, Rui Costa and Joao Pinto won two FIFA World Youth Championships (in 1989 and 1991), and he put The selection of corners foramong the best teams in Europe. However, there is no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo is the most important player in the history of Portuguese football:

• Portugal have won the only two titles in his trophy cabinet with him as captain: EURO 2016 and UEFA Nations League 2019.
• Portugal has only competed in seven World Cups, including four in the Ronaldo era: Germany 2006 (fourth place), South Africa 2010 (round of 16), Brazil 2014 (group stage) and Russia 2018 (round of 16).
• He is the only Portuguese to have scored in four World Cups and the only European player to have scored the net in four EUROs.
• Ronaldo has been named FIFA World Player of the Year five times.

Did you know

• Decisive goals: Of the 101 goals that Portugal has scored, only 17 came in friendlies.
• Full player: 55 of his goals have been with the right foot, 22 with the left and 24 with the head.
• From open play and set pieces: Ronaldo has scored ten direct free kicks, 11 penalties and the rest in open play.
• Deadly in the final stages: 30 of his 101 goals have come in the last 15 minutes or in extra time.
• Nine goals in FIFA competitions: Ronaldo has scored the goal seven times in World Cups and twice in the FIFA Confederations Cup ™.
• Qualified specialist: Ronaldo has participated in three World Cup qualifying campaigns and has left his mark on each of them: he scored seven on the road to Germany 2006, eight on the run-up to Brazil 2014 and 15 on the road to Russia 2018. He also scored he has netted 31 times in the EURO preliminaries.
• Hat-tricks and more: In his 100 games for Portugal, Ronaldo has registered seven hat-tricks (including two against his favorite opponent, Lithuania), and also scored four goals in a match against Andorra.
• More years, more goals: Like a good wine, Ronaldo has been improving with age when it comes to scoring. The 2019 calendar year was the best yet at 14.

Star rotates

In his 17-year international career, Ronaldo has enjoyed numerous memorable moments, including these three:

Four goals to qualify for Brazil

European Play-offs: Portugal vs Sweden (4-2 on aggregate), November 15-19, 2013

Portugal finished behind Russia in their qualifying group for Brazil 2014, forcing them to face a Swedish team led by Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the play-offs. Ronaldo stole the show by scoring all four of his team’s goals in both games, with a header in the first leg in Lisbon that gave Portugal the lead. Ibrahimovic hit a double in the second leg, but Ronaldo’s hat-trick dashed Sweden’s hopes, and he walked away from defense each time before finishing with surgical precision. Portugal booked their ticket to Brazil, where they finally failed to get past the group stage.

Ronaldo to the rescue in the continental showdown

EURO 2016, group stage: Hungary 3-3 Portugal, June 22, 2016

Portugal won their first silver medal in the European Championship through tough battles and magical moments, such as Ronaldo’s double against Hungary to advance to the round of 16.

The Iberians entered their last group match after two draws that had apparently left them heading home. To make matters worse, Hungary went 2-1 early in the second half, before Ronaldo took the lead. He tied with a spectacular back heel, and as Hungary took the lead again, Ronaldo led his team’s 3-3 to keep Portugal’s hopes alive.

He only played 30 minutes into the final due to injury, but before that he was decisive again in the semi-finals, leading the opener in a 2-0 win over Wales.

Best performance at the World Cup … so far

Russia 2018, group stage: Portugal 3-3 Spain, June 15, 2018

The Iberian derby was one of the best matches of the last World Cup, and Ronaldo stole the show with a hat-trick by helping his team come back and start their campaign in Russia 2018 with a draw that was felt more like a victory.

Ronaldo’s 14th outing in the World Cup was his best yet, both in terms of his goals and the way he led the team. First he won and scored a penalty, then forced an error from David de Gea to record his second and, in the 88th minute, when Spain already seemed to have the victory assured, he crashed a direct free kick into the upper corner.