Cristiano Ronaldo became the highest-scoring European in international history by scoring against Morocco on Wednesday.
The Portugal superstar headed home in just the fourth minute of the Group B encounter in Moscow to surpass former Hungary and Spain striker Ferenc Puskas and move his tally to 85 on his 152nd appearance for his country.
Just the 85 international goals for @Cristiano now… 🙌#PORMAR pic.twitter.com/2Y9tVpes1G
— FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup) June 20, 2018
The Portugal captain equalled Puskas’ record of 84 – scored in just 89 matches – with a thrilling hat-trick in Friday’s absorbing 3-3 draw with pool rivals Spain.
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The Real Madrid forward is now second on the all-time international list, but still has some way to go to catch Ali Daei, who netted 109 times in 149 outings for Iran.
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85 – Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored more international goals than any other European player in the history of football (85 goals for Portugal). Historic. #POR #MAR #PORMAR #Ronaldo #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/I3wsEJTGlQ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 20, 2018
Ronaldo’s strike also moved him back ahead in the race for the World Cup Golden Boot, after Denis Cheryshev pulled level on three goals with his effort during Russia’s 3-1 win over Egypt on Tuesday.
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