Cristiano Ronaldo has undoubtedly sealed his legacy as one of the greatest footballers of all time. In a career that has spanned decades, the Portuguese superstar has created moments of pure brilliance and bewildered billions of fans across the globe. Not only that but the 5 time Ballon d’Or winner has set numerous goal records, starting from his first stint at Manchester United to now, at 39 years of age, still going strong at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Personal biases aside, even rival fans can’t help but give in to Cristiano Ronaldo’s elite-level career and trophy haul, which has seen him innumerable League and domestic titles across 3 different clubs in Europe all the while racking up a record-high goal tally that will seemingly withstand the test of time. With that said, let’s take a look at some of CR7’s most lofty achievements and records.
Best 20 records held by Cristiano Ronaldo
International Records
1. Most International Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo is the the only player to score in 11 consecutive international tournaments and score the most international goals in men’s football bagging an incredible 135 goals for his country. This means that he is the first amongst only three players who have crossed the 100-goal mark alongside Lionel Messi and Ali Daei at the International level.
2. Most International Caps
Now 39, the Portugues forward also holds the record for most caps for his country and of any player in the sport. He has secured 217 International appearances, as of December 2024, which judging by his form and current physical condition, could be set to reach the 230 mark in the coming years.
3. Most European Championship Goals
Ronaldo has also left his mark on the European Championship, bagging the highest number of goals in the tournament with 55 goals in competition history including qualifiers and appearances 74 across five different editions (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024).
4. Only Player to score in Five World Cups
Despite the World Cup being the only missing trophy in his otherwise unbelievable collection, Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player to have scored in five editions of the FIFA World Cup starting from 2006 to 2022, scoring 8 times in 22 World Cup appearances. Moreover, he is one of only five players to play in five World Cup tournaments alongside Lionel Messi, Lothar Matheus, Antonio Cabral, and Rafael Marquez.
5. Most Career Goals in Football history
Cristiano Ronaldo remains the front-runner in the leaderboard for the most career goals in football history, reaching 916 goals, surpassing his previous tally of 913 goals. He is currently well clear of his longtime rival, Lionel Messi (850 goals) who is the closest competitor in second place.
Club Records
6. Most UEFA Champions League Goals
Europe’s premier club competition was ruled by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo, his numbers in the Champions League are like the stuff of legend. He netted a record 140 goals in Europe while playing for four different clubs. In addition to this, he also netted 17 times during the 2013/14 Champions League, which is the record for a single campaign.
7. Record League Goals for Man United
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 31 league goals campaign in the 2007/2008 season remains a club record to this day. Not only that but, Ronaldo is also the only Manchester United player to have won the Golden Boot (2007/2008) and the Puskas Award in 2008.
8. Most UEFA TOTY Appearances
Naturally, owing to his longstanding record in the Champions League and across top leagues in Europe, Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in the UEFA Team of The Year for a record 15 times, the most by any other player from Europe’s top five leagues.
9. Most UCL Final Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo has been no stranger to making history with Manchester United and Real Madrid. In his time playing for two of the most highly after clubs in the world, Cristiano delivered when it mattered the most, scoring the most number of goals in a UCL final, having scored in 3 such high-stakes matches, the highest in competition history.
Also Read: Ranking the Top 15 Best English Footballers in the World in 2024
10. Real Madrid Record Scorer
A future Real Madrid legend when all is said and done, Cristiano Ronaldo established himself as the all-time top scorer for Los Blancos with 450 goals in 438 appearances, surpassing the records set by some of the most elite and prolific goal scorers on the planet. The mark of one of the greatest of all time and a leader among some generational names.
11. Most Goals in a Single Season (Real Madrid)
On his way to the previous accomplishment, the Portuguese superstar racked up the most goals in a single season as a Real Madrid player netting an unbelievable 61 goals during the 2015/16 season in all competitions.
12. Most Champions League wins
Known as Mr. Champions League for a reason, Cristiano Ronaldo has the most number of Champions League trophies to his name with 5, having won his first trophy with Man United in 2008 and later four more with Real Madrid in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
13. Most Assists in the Champions League
Well, we now know that Cristiano Ronaldo has the most number of goals in the Champions League, but he is also the holder of the assist record with 42, thanks to his playmaking skills, a truly underrated trait among his arsenal of skills and tricks.
14. Oldest Player to score 15+ Premier League Goals
When Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Man United in 2021, it was a special moment, to say the least. That said, the campaign would see him net 15 goals on his return to Old Trafford, which made him the oldest player to hit that tally, breaking Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s record for the same side.
15. Most Goals in Season (Juventus)
Following his shocking move to Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo once again continued his goal-scoring romp, notching up a record-setting 37 goals in the 2019/20 campaign, making it the record for the most goals for Juventus in one season.
16. Fastest Player to 50 Serie A Goals
As mentioned, Ronaldo continued to deliver the goods at the highest level, even when he had seemingly gone past his prime. As such, he would go on to become the fastest player to score 50 Serie A goals, needing only 61 outings to accomplish the feat.
17. Only Player with 30+ Goals in PL, La Liga & Serie A
With that, we come to the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo’s career is the only player to score more than 30 goals in a single season in three of Europe’s top five leagues with Manchester United (England), Real Madrid (Spain), and Juventus (Italy).
Miscellaneous records
18. First player to score 800 career goals
During his second stint at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player in history to cross 800 career goals, beating Pele’s official record and expanding his lead on Lionel Messi in a game against Arsenal where he netted twice, scoring his 801st goal with a penalty.
19. Record for most career hat-tricks
Cristiano Ronaldo for all his prolific form over decades has a habit of lumping it on his opposition with goal after goal. As such, he holds the club and international record for most hat-tricks with 66 at the club level and a tied 10 at the international level. He is also the first to reach 10 hat-tricks at the international level.
20. First to reach a billion followers across social media platforms
Earlier this year, Cristiano Ronaldo branched out to a new venture and started his own YouTube channel UR · Cristiano. Safe to say, it was a roaring success as he hit a million subscribers in less than 90 minutes, a feat that takes many people decades to accomplish. Already at 72 million subscribers on the platform, making him the 25th highest. However, the feat also saw him cross a billion followers across all social media platforms, making him the first to achieve the historic milestone.