Portugal thrashed Poland 5-1 in a UEFA Nations League match at Estádio do Dragão last Friday, November 15. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace and Rafael Leão, Bruno Fernandes and Chelsea’s Pedro Neto scored a goal each to compound Poland’s misery.
The interesting thing about the match was that it remained goalless until the 59th minute, but the hosts pumped in five goals within the next half an hour or so. Roberto Martinez’s team thus left the pitch on a high, having pulverized a quality opposition.
Ronaldo now has 135 goals for Portugal:
Ronaldo earned a quite incredible 217th cap for Portugal against Poland. With his brace, he now has 135 goals for his country, which is a record that should take some beating. One of his goals was scored with a brilliant bicycle kick that is testimony to his amazing physical fitness even as he approaches 40, his underwhelming Portugal run in Euro 2024 notwithstanding.
Lionel Messi, Ronaldo’s contemporary and great rival, with whom he has shared the spotlight for almost two decades now, has 112 goals from 190 international caps for Argentina. As the two greats keep inspiring and challenging each other even while playing club football away from Europe, one wonders exactly where either of them will stop in terms of their achievement in international football.
Other great goal-scorers have appeared in far fewer international matches:
Some other great goal-scorers in the history of the game have appeared in far fewer matches. Pelé, who retired from international football even before reaching the age of 30, played in 92 international matches and scored a very creditable 77 goals.
Brazil’s Ronaldo, a genuine modern great, scored 62 goals in 98 international appearances. Gerd Müller, the German goal-machine, scored 68 goals from 62 international matches, a frequency that is yet unmatched.
The amazing Ferenc Puskás scored 84 goals in 85 caps for Hungary, which is yet another fantastic record. However, the very fact that each of those past greats played in less than 100 international matches and both Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi have played or approached 200 matches is testimony to the amazing longevity of the latter two.
Ronaldo needs 15 more goals to reach 150 international goals, which will be a monumental feat. To score that many goals for one’s national team must have given him an incredible sense of satisfaction.
The Portuguese superstar remains extremely dangerous inside the opposition penalty box. However, it still cannot be denied that new competitions like the Nations League provides him with an opportunity to play more international fixtures, some of them against weaker oppositions.
As football-lovers, we will not be complaining though. The more one gets the opportunity to see all-time greats like Ronaldo, the more privileged one feels about it. Portugal will take on Croatia in their last group match in the Nations League, which will present Ronaldo with another opportunity to extend his tally.
It is almost inarguable that the game has not yer seen a goal-scorer of the caliber of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, even keeping that in mind, it seems pretty inconceivable that one will end up scoring 150 or more international goals. It remains to be seen whether the Portuguese superstar reaches that milestone.