Cristiano Ronaldo broke yet another record as Portugal were held to a 2-2 draw by Hungary in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. Attila Szalai put Hungary ahead in the eighth minute, but the Portuguese captain responded with an equaliser in the 22nd minute before adding a second on the stroke of half-time. Dominik Szoboszlai’s late strike denied Portugal an early World Cup berth.
Ronaldo’s first goal saw him surpass former Guatemala striker Carlos Ruiz to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup qualifiers with 41 goals in 50 appearances. The 40-year-old now has 143 international goals and 948 overall for club and country.
Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen remarked: “He will be remembered for 1,000 goals… Can you imagine being the goalkeeper? You want to let it in, don’t you?” Ronaldo remains 52 goals shy of the 1,000 mark as he aims to lead Portugal to World Cup glory in 2026.