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Cristiano Ronaldo became the all-time leading scorer in international football history on Wednesday when he scored his 110th goal for Portugal.
The Portugal captain moved ahead of former Iranian striker Ali Daei after scoring in the 89th minute against Ireland in a World Cup qualifier. In a 2-1 victory, he added a second goal, this time a header. Earlier in the game, in the 15th minute, he had a penalty saved.
The 36-year-old Ronaldo, who returned to Manchester United after leaving Juventus on Tuesday, was playing in his 180th game for Portugal. The forward made his national team debut in 2003 and began his historic scoring run in a 2-1 loss to Greece in the group stage of the 2004 European Championship.
Ronaldo and Daei, who scored 109 goals in 149 games for Iran from 1993 to 2006 while playing for German clubs Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin, are the only two men to have done so.
Christine Sinclair of Canada, 38, is the most prolific scorer in international soccer, having scored her 187th goal last month at the Tokyo Olympics, where she won gold.
Ronaldo, whose only title with Portugal came at Euro 2016, was the tournament’s top scorer with five goals in four games, but his team’s title defence ended in the round of 16.
Ronaldo became the first player to score in five different editions of the continental tournament, bringing his total to 11 goals, breaking Michel Platini’s Euros record of nine.
According to UEFA, Ronaldo is also the top scorer in Champions League history, with 134 goals, 14 more than Lionel Messi.
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