Cristiano Ronaldo has established himself as one of the greatest players in the history of football over his long and glittering career, and the 40-year-old holds the medals and records to prove it.
With over 920 career goals and 33 major trophies, Ronaldo has helped set the bar ridiculously high, and it is unlikely that any new forward could come close to matching his records for a very long time.
We’ve collected a host of remarkable records that Ronaldo holds.
– Ronaldo holds the record for most international goals, with 136 goals in 219 appearances, surpassing Ali Daei in September 2021.
– Ronaldo has made the most appearances for Portugal, with 219.
– He is also the most capped player in the history of men’s international football, surpassing Al-Mutawa’s record in March 2023.
– Following his brace against Liechtenstein in a Euro qualifier, Ronaldo became the first-ever player to score 100 competitive international goals.
– Ronaldo is the only player to score in 11 consecutive international tournaments, between 2004 and 2022.
– The 40-year-old is the first and only player to score in five World Cups. He’s also only one of five players to have played in five World Cups (alongside Lionel Messi, Lothar Matheus, Rafael Marquez and Antonio Cabral).
– He’s both Portugal’s youngest (21 years & 132 days) and oldest (37 years & 292 days) goalscorer at a World Cup.
– He has the most European Championship goals in history, with 14.
– He scored 32 international goals (club and national team) in 2017, the most by any player in a calendar year.
– He is the first player to score 10 or more Champions League goals for three different clubs.
– Ronaldo has the most Champions League goals in history with 141, 12 more than Messi on 129.
– He broke the record for most goals in a European campaign, with 17 Champions League goals in 2013-14.
– Ronaldo has scored in four Champions League finals, more than any other player.
– He is the only player to score in all six Champions League group games in a single season, having done it in 2017-18 and 2021-22.
– Ronaldo is just the third player to score a Champions League goal against a specific opponent with three different clubs, achieving the feat against Lyon in 2020.
– Ronaldo was the first player to win both the Premier League Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards in the same season, in 2007-08.
– Ronaldo holds the Manchester United record for most goals in a Premier League season with 31.
– He is the only United player to ever win a Puskas award, for his goal against Porto in 2009.
– Ronaldo is the only United player to win the European Golden Shoe, in 2008.
– He is the only Manchester United player to be named in the World Player of the Year award, in 2008.
– Ronaldo broke the record for scoring more than 50 goals in consecutive seasons, having done it six times in a row between 2011 and 2016.
– He is Real Madrid’s top goalscorer in history with 451 goals in 438 games, 128 more than Raul Gonzalez, who has 323 in 741 games.
– He is Real Madrid’s leading scorer in La Liga, with 312 strikes.
– Ronaldo has the highest number of games in which a player has scored three or more times in La Liga history with 34.
– He scored the most by any Real Madrid player in a single season, with 61 goals in 2014-15.
– Ronaldo was the fastest player to score 200, 250 and 300 La Liga goals.
– Ronaldo broke Juventus’ all-time record for most goals scored in a single season, scoring 37 goals in all competitions in 2019-20.
– He became the fastest player to score 50 Serie A goals, reaching his half-century in just 61 league outings for the Bianconeri.
– Ronaldo became the first player to score 50 or more goals in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.
– He is the first player to score 30 or more goals in a single season in three of Europe’s top five leagues.
– After scoring three goals against Cagliari in January 2020, he became the first Portuguese player to score a hat-trick in Serie A history.
– He is one of only two players to have scored a hat-trick in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A after Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
– The forward moved ahead of Rui Costa as the Portuguese player with the most goals in Italy’s top flight with 101 at Juventus.
– While playing for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo became the first player in the history of football to score against 200 different opponents.
– Having bagged 35 league goals during 2023-24, Ronaldo broke the record for the most goals scored in a single Saudi Pro League campaign.
– After winning the Golden Boot in 2023-24, Ronaldo made history by becoming the first player to win the top scorer award in four different top-flight leagues.
– In the calendar year of 2023, Ronaldo scored an impressive 54 goals, which was more than any other player in world football that year.
– With 92 goals in 103 appearances for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo is the highest-scoring European player in the club’s history.
Davichi
81
Ronaldo is a great player no doubt but reading all these records became boring because almost all is about goals. This is why he can't be placed in contention for the GOAT. Lionel Messi on the other hand is the undisputed GOAT. His achievements are too numerous for me to state here but I'd mention two that stand out. 1. He's the ONLY footballer to win the golden ball in the most important tournament of all; the World Cup 2. He's the footballer with 8 Ballon d'OR; the most in history.
DetermineDan
63
Absolutely staggering! This list isn't just a collection of records; it's a testament to unwavering dedication, unparalleled skill, and a relentless pursuit of greatness. To call Cristiano Ronaldo the GOAT isn't just a casual compliment, it's a recognition of a career defined by breaking barriers and rewriting history. From international dominance to club-level supremacy across multiple leagues, these records paint a picture of a player who has consistently performed at the absolute peak of the sport. The sheer volume and variety of his achievements are simply astonishing. He hasn't just played the game, he's redefined what's possible. These records solidify his legendary status.... This is the real GOAT
TweneboahGyanKodua27
31
Goals Goals Goals and more appearance nothing else
TweneboahGyanKodua27
24
MR. LIONEL MESSI
Davichi
8
There are so many records which have not been included, he is the first to win the PUSKAS, He is the only Portuguese to win 5 ballon dors, the first to win all individual accolades for 2 different clubs, first Captain to lift an international trophy with Portugal etc do you also want them to include Social media records?
😂😂🤣 We're talking about world record and you're talking about one nation. So hilarious. You shouldn't have even mentioned the trophy Portugal won because you're just reminding us that he was on the sidelines jumping like a cheerleader while his teammates did the work on the field and won that final. Also add to his record that he's the first high profile player not to win a single MVP of an international tournament. 🤣