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Cristiano Ronaldo has written his name in football’s history books forever. The all-time top scorer in professional football has taken goalscoring to a whole new level. It will be an arduous task for any future footballer to break Ronaldo’s record of 803 goals.
Prior to CR7’s arrival, Eusebio and Luis Figo were the two most renowned Portuguese players. Ronaldo had claimed Eusebio’s title as the best Portuguese player by the mid-2010s. He is arguably the best European player ever.
Cristiano Ronaldo's individual record with Portugal is staggering
Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t always had the best of teammates at international level. The winger-turned-striker was only 19 years old when “A Selecao” lost to Greece in Euro 2004. Until Euro 2016, Ronaldo’s Portugal never troubled the strongest national sides.
Having said that, Ronaldo has enjoyed a top-notch international career at an individual level. The Manchester United striker is the leading international scorer with 115 goals for Portugal. Here are Cristiano Ronaldo’s five best years with Portugal.
#5 2013
Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed a highly prolific year with Portugal in 2013. The then-Real Madrid winger netted ten times in nine appearances. He scored two hat-tricks that year, one each against Sweden and Northern Ireland.
The Portuguese skipper was at his lethal best during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Portugal remained unbeaten in all matches where Ronaldo played the entirety of 90 minutes. In fact, they lost just one game with Ronaldo in the squad.
Although Real Madrid had not started their Champions League winning spree by 2013, Ronaldo was already one of the best players in the world. This was when the Portugal number 7 crossed 50 goal contributions for the senior national team.
#4 2017
Unlike in 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo transformed into a centre forward in 2017. This only proliferated his goal-scoring numbers. The former Real Madrid superstar scored 11 goals in as many outings for Portugal in what turned out to be a bittersweet year.
The low point of the year was Portugal’s semi-final exit in the 2017 Confederations Cup. They bowed out after losing to Chile on penalties. Claudio Bravo's masterclass ensured that Portugal’s primary spot-kick taker, Ronaldo, wouldn’t even get a chance to show his penalty prowess.
The reigning Euro 2016 champions had to settle for a third-place finish at the 2017 Confederations Cup. Overall, it was a solid year for Ronaldo. He ended up scoring 11 goals and racking up four assists in a year that culminated in his 5th Ballon d’Or award.
#3 2021
Cristiano Ronaldo started 2021 as part of the defending Euro champions. Come June, he led Portugal into Euro 2020’s “Group of Death”. Portugal’s failure at the quadrennial tournament did a disservice to Ronaldo’s performances.
The 36-year-old was simply breathtaking during the group stage games. He scored five goals in three matches. The 6’1” tall striker contributed one goal and one assist against Germany before scoring a brace against France. Belgium knocked Portugal out in the Round of 16.
Soon after Euro 2020, Ronaldo scored two goals against Ireland. The effort saw him overtake Ali Daei to become the all-time top scorer in international football. Ronaldo scored 13 goals last year, which has resulted in his overall tally reaching 115 goals.
#2 2016
2016 has to go down as one of the best years in the Portugal national team’s history. For a nation that has never won the FIFA World Cup, winning their first-ever European Championship was huge. Needless to say, Ronaldo was at the heart of it.
The Portugal hero scored and assisted three goals each during Euro 2016. He suffered an unfortunate injury in the final but provided motivation for the team off the touchline. Eder scored an extra-time goal to help Portugal see off France.
In the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers later that year, Ronaldo scored seven goals in just three appearances. This included a four-goal haul against Andorra. Overall, the Manchester United forward made 16 goal contributions (13 goals, three assists) in 2016.
#1 2019
Cristiano Ronaldo led Portugal from the front in the inaugural edition of the Nations League. The former Juventus forward scored a sublime hat-trick against Switzerland in the semi-final. Portugal won the final against the Netherlands a few days later, courtesy of a Goncalo Guedes strike.
This was Portugal’s second major trophy. Both have come during Cristiano Ronaldo’s era, further increasing his legend. Ronaldo scored a whopping 14 goals in just ten goals in 2019. Those numbers are unprecedented, especially considering none of those games were international friendlies.
In six European qualifiers during the second half of 2019, the serial goalscorer was at the top of his game. He scored 11 goals in those six fixtures, including four strikes against Lithuania and a hat-trick against Lithuania. The sheer amount of goals in 2019 is enough to rank it at number one.
