Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101st international goals for Portugal on September 9. The brace came in Sweden’s 0-2 loss to his national team in the UEFA Nations League. The tournament’s official Twitter paid tribute to the Juventus star with a compilation of some of his international goals for Portugal. He also became the second player with more than 100 international goals, only behind former Iranian footballer Ali Daei, who has scored 109 goals. Legend Ferenc Puskas is in the third position with 84 goals, followed by Godfrey Chitalu (79).
Here is the compilation video posted on Twitter by the tournament’s official handle:
Ronaldo’s performance in Stockholm Stadium made many fans nostalgic, as the former Manchester United star had scored a hat-trick in the same venue during 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying.
In the recent win against the Swedes, Ronaldo’s first goal (45th-minute) was a curling freekick to reach a century of international goals. His second goal (72nd-minute) was a curler from outside the opposition penalty box.
Taking to Instagram, after the match Ronaldo said, “Huge pride in this historical goal for our national team! When they tell me I can reach 100, I say it’s not enough… 101 goals for Portugal.”
Promoted
It was a rather one-sided fixture, with Portugal keeping bulk of the possession. They also attempted 21 shots, while Sweden could only muster eight attempts.
After this win, Portugal are currently on top of their group with six points. Meanwhile, France are second, followed by Sweden and Croatia.