Ronaldo Becomes All-Time Top Scorer in World Cup Qualifiers

Rabat – Cristiano Ronaldo has become the all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup qualifiers, after scoring a brace for Portugal in a 2-2 draw against Hungary. 

His brace took him to 41 goals, surpassing Carlos Ruiz of Guatemala (39 goals), Lionel Messi of Argentina (36), Ali Daei of Iran (35), and Robert Lewandowski of Poland (32).

Ronaldo’s first goal came from a Nelson Semedo assist, and the second was a classic far-post finish after a cross from Nuno Mendes. 

This achievement adds to Ronaldo’s historic legacy. The Portuguese now has 948 career goals for club and country – the most by any player in history. 

At 40 years old, he is getting closer to reaching 1,000 career goals – a number no player has ever hit in official football.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner holds several major goal-scoring records. He has scored 128 goals for Portugal, the most in men’s international football. 

In UEFA competitions, he leads with 145 goals, including Champions League and European qualifiers. He also has the most goals in UEFA European Championship history, with 14 goals across five tournaments that he participated in.

At the club level, Ronaldo has scored over 700 goals. These numbers add to his overall career tally of 948 goals, putting him closer to the historic 1,000-goal mark.

Ronaldo is staying active and focused, aiming to be ready for one last dance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

At 40, he’s still competing at the highest level, hoping to win the only major trophy missing from his career. Despite winning the Euros, Nations League, and many club titles, the World Cup remains the only trophy he didn’t win in his historic journey.