Even amid a brewing controversy with Al Nassr and the Saudi Pro League, Cristiano Ronaldo’s legacy for both club and country is shining bright on his 41st birthday.
To celebrate the milestone, the world is looking back at Ronaldo’s one-of-a-kind career that started when he was just a teenager in Portugal. The forward would go on to excel at some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Manchester United and Real Madrid, where he won a combined five Champions League titles.
Along the way, Ronaldo took home five Ballon d’Or awards, scored a staggering amount of goals and etched his name in the sport’s records books ... and he promises to make more history this summer, where he will become the first player to ever feature in six World Cups, alongside Lionel Messi.
Here’s seven impressive records Ronaldo has set throughout his illustrious career.
7. The Most Goals in a Single Season for Real Madrid
It seemed like Ronaldo always wanted to outdo himself with each new season at Real Madrid, but nothing could ever compare to the 2014–15 campaign. The superstar scored a personal and club-best 61 goals.
Ronaldo found the back of the net 48 times in La Liga, 10 times in the Champions League, twice in the UEFA Super Cup and once in the Copa del Rey.
6. The Most Appearances in Men’s International Soccer
No one in the history of men’s international soccer has more appearances than Ronaldo. The 41-year-old has featured 226 times for Portugal over the last two decades. With no concrete plans to retire this year, Ronaldo can keep increasing his record.
The forward is also the only player to play in six different Euro tournaments. He has featured in five World Cups as well, with a sixth on the horizon.
5. The Most European Championship Goals in History
With six Euro tournaments under his belt, Ronaldo sits atop the competition’s scoring charts. The Portugal international has found the back of the net 14 times in the tournament, five more than France’s Michel Platini.
Ronaldo’s shining moment for Portugal came in 2016 when he helped his country win its first Euro title. He would go on to hoist two UEFA Nations League trophies as well.
4. The Most Goals in Men’s International Soccer History
Given his total appearances for Portugal, it is no surprise Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals in men’s international soccer history. The captain has found the back of the net 143 times (so far) while representing his country.
Lionel Messi is the next closest player on the international scoring charts with 115 goals (and counting) for Argentina.
Watch Ronaldo’s best goals for Portugal here.
3. The Champions League All-Time Leading Goalscorer
The Champions League is synonymous with Ronaldo. No one in the tournament’s history has more goals than the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. During his years representing Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, Ronaldo scored a staggering 140 goals (excluding qualifying).
Ronaldo wound up winning five Champions League titles in his career, the second-most in history. Along the way, he also secured the record for the most goals scored in a single Champions League campaign (17), though Kylian Mbappé is on pace to exceed that tally.
Watch every one of Ronaldo’s Champions League goals here.
2. Real Madrid’s All-Time Leading Goalscorer
It only took 438 competitive appearances for Ronaldo in a white shirt to become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer. In his nine years at Real Madrid, the Portugal captain found the back of the net 451 times.
Along with his 105 goals in the Champions League for Los Blancos, he also bagged 312 La Liga goals. Speaking of the Spanish top-flight, Ronaldo scored three or more goals in 34 different La Liga matches, the most in history.
Watch Ronaldo’s best La Liga goals here.
1. The Most Goals ... Ever
There’s a common theme with Ronaldo’s achievements—the five-time Ballon d’Or winner holds just about every goalscoring record there is in soccer. It comes as no surprise, then, that Ronaldo has the most goals in the history of the sport.
On his 41st birthday, Ronaldo has currently scored 961 career goals, and he is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, he bagged 460 goals in his thirties alone. It has become a matter of if, not when, he will record 1,000 career goals.
Check out the 10 best goals of Ronaldo’s entire career here.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Seven Historic Records Cristiano Ronaldo Holds on His 41st Birthday.
