Unarguably one of the greatest goalscorers of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo added another feather to his extremely decorated cap as he scored a brace for Portugal in the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Hungary on Tuesday. Though Portugal could only draw the match 2-2, the tightly-contested affair didn’t prevent Ronaldo from unleashing his true goalscoring abilities on the field. As the 40-year-old scored from close range in the 22nd minute, he recorded his 40th strike in a World Cup qualifying match, breaking a tie with former Guatemala player Carlos Ruiz.
The Al-Nassr striker then added a second in first-half stoppage time to extend his record to 41 goals in the 50 World Cup qualifiers he has played. Ronaldo also has some of the biggest records in international football this his name.
– Most international goals in history: 133
– Most caps for men’s national team: 215+
– Most goals in European Championship history: 14
Ronaldo now has a record-extending 143 goals in men’s internationals.
Estamos cada vez mais perto do nosso objetivo! Vamos, Portugal! pic.twitter.com/C7hafo1ZTl
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 14, 2025
List Of Players With The Most Goals In FIFA World Cup Qualifiers:
1st) Cristiano Ronaldo – 41 in 51 appearances
2nd) Carlos Ruiz – 39 goals in 47
3rd) Lionel Messi – 36 in 72
4th) Ali Daei – 35 in 51
5th) Robert Lewandowski – 33 in 42
6th) Chris Wood – 29 in 31
6th) Sardar Azmoun – 29 in 41
6th) Edin Dzeko – 29 in 42
6th) Luis Suarez – 29 in 64
10th) Karim Bagheri – 28 in 29
Despite playing more games than Ronaldo, Messi sits third in the list, with 36 goals in 72 World Cup qualifying matches for Argentina.
As for the match against Hungary, Ronaldo left the field in the 78th minute with the score at 2-1 and Hungary equalized in stoppage time through Dominik Szoboszlai, preventing Portugal from clinching a spot in the World Cup with two group games to spare.
“We are getting closer to our goal! Let’s go, Portugal,” said Ronaldo on X (formerly Twitter) after the game.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez’s side top Group F with 10 points, five clear of Hungary, despite the 2-2 draw.
“We didn’t manage the game in the last 10 minutes well enough,” admitted the Spaniard Martinez.
“If you don’t kill the game you need to know how to manage it until the end. Today we stopped playing and Hungary equalised.”
With AP Inputs
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