At this year’s Euros, Ronaldo has five goals in three matches thus far, and with Portugal progressing to the Round of 16 and potentially further there’s more opportunities ahead for him to move into sole possession of first all-time.
The Lionel Messi versus Ronaldo debate would be a long and drawn out one, so we’re not touching that today. Instead, let’s take a look at why Ronaldo’s latest feat is so impressive.
When looking at the current list of the top 10 all-time goal scorers, there will be a few names that casual football fans recognize, but many of the names are obscure and date back to a different era and continent.
Daei and many others inside the top 10 played in AFC -- Asian Football Confederation -- where the level of play simply is a different animal than that of South America or Europe. That’s not to diminish any player’s accomplishments but instead to help further the narrative of how impressive Ronaldo has been.
He’s played against the best in Europe for over a decade-and-a-half, including regular encounters with the likes of France, Italy, Netherlands and Germany.
His entire career has been played against the best teams in the world, and in fact, Ronaldo’s first-ever international goal came against Greece at Euro 2004 on Portugal’s home soil. Although the Portuguese didn’t win the match, it was clear early on that Ronaldo had the makings of an all-star talent.
To this point, Ronaldo has scored in five consecutive European Championships and four straight World Cups, something that no other player in the history of the sport has managed to accomplish.
Outside of his first year competing internationally (2003) Ronaldo has scored a goal in 18 straight years competing with Portugal, showing the longevity of his career and the fact that he’s always strived to be in the best shape possible to avoid missing time through injuries.
It’s not to say that nobody will ever break Ronaldo’s record once he secures 110 goals, but given the state of the game and ongoing competitiveness that lies with the best players in Europe and South America, it’s hard to imagine it happening any time soon.
Lionel Messi’s 73 international goals has him ranked 13th all-time, while Robert Lewandowski is sitting on 69 goals in his career with Poland. Neymar and Romelu Lukaku aren’t far behind either, with 68 and 63 goals, respectively, but those totals still feel miles away from what Ronaldo has achieved.
