Football
Adriana Garcia 4y

Ronaldo sets sights on new record after surpassing 100 goals for Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo is setting his sights on becoming the all-time leading scorer in men's international football after passing the 100th goal mark with Portugal.

The Juventus forward scored twice in Portugal's 2-0 Nations League victory against Sweden on Tuesday and needs eight goals to equal the record of 109 scored by Ali Daei, who played for Iran from 1993 until 2007.

Canada captain Christine Sinclair holds the all-time international record with 186 goals. 

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"Obviously I'm delighted to have reached the 100th mark with two goals," Ronaldo told RTP.

"I wanted to reach the century, and now I want to go for the next one [109]. But records are not an obsession.

"What I've achieved speaks for itself.

"Only God knows what the future holds."

Of Ronaldo's 101 international goals, 49 of them have come after he turned 30 and he is looking to add further to that tally at 35. 

Ronaldo celebrated the century milestone by posting a video of some of his goals for Portugal with the caption: "An enormous pride to reach this historic mark at the service of our national team! When I am told I can reach 100, I say it's not enough...101."

Ronaldo did not play in Portugal's 4-1 win over Croatia on Saturday due to a toe infection and he was an uncertainty heading into the encounter in Sweden.

"When I had the problem of my toe, I knew I could recover for this game," he said. "I like to be here, with this group, this coach and this staff. I'm privileged to play with these group of players.

While Ronaldo was happy to reach the century mark, he said it was sad it had happened without fans present due to coronavirus restrictions. 

"To play without fans is like going to the circus and not seeing clowns, or a garden without flowers," he said.

"When I play away from home I like to be poked by fans because I can get a kick from it but health is first. 

"If the WHO [World Health Organisation] says that the conditions are not there, that's that. The most important thing is the human being."

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