Cristiano Ronaldo overtakes Lionel Messi record and closes in on World Cup history

While Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s rivalry is certainly in its twilight, they are still chasing records, and Ronaldo is winning the latest pursuit.

The Al Nassr striker scored twice for Portugal in a 5-0 World Cup qualifying win over Armenia, and in doing so overtook his foe to close in on another scoring feat.

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The strikes were Ronaldo’s 37th and 38th in FIFA World Cup qualifying, moving him ahead of Messi on 36.

And he now has just one person ahead of him – record holder Carlos Ruiz – who scored 39 times for Guatemala in CONCACAF qualifying.

The striker, who was a teammate of David Beckham and Landon Donovan at LA Galaxy, is his nation’s all-time top scorer with 68 goals in 133 games.

The same can be said for Ronaldo and Messi, who are top overall for Portugal and Argentina respectively, with Ronaldo scoring 140 in 222 and Messi 114 in 194.

Ronaldo’s latest double came in a rout away in Armenia in Portugal’s first World Cup qualifier where he was joined on the scoresheet by his new Al Nassr teammate Joao Felix.

The fourth most expensive player of all time from his Atletico Madrid days joined his country’s greatest in Saudi Arabia weeks ago in a £44million switch from Chelsea.

The other goal was from former Manchester City man Joao Cancelo, who is similarly playing in the Saudi Pro League with Al Hilal.

Discussing the country’s impact, Cancelo stood up for the league.

“Until the players play there, don’t think it’s as easy as people say,” he told the media post-match. 

“It’s getting better and better, even the Arab players are better prepared to play against us. I’m happy, my family is happy there, and that’s what matters.”

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Ronaldo’s first goal of the match that made it 2-0 came in the 21st minute, corresponding to the number 21 that Diogo Jota wore for the nation before his tragic death in July.

Ronaldo pointed to the heavens after scoring, and Cancelo later did the former Liverpool man’s goal celebration in tribute.

Commenting on the scenes, Paris Saint-Germain’s Vitinha said: “Jota will always be with us, wherever we play. 

“We scored in the 21st minute, through Cristiano Ronaldo, and Cancelo dedicated a goal to him. It’s a beautiful moment to watch.”

Along with his numerous club records, including being Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer, Ronaldo holds a number of international ones too.

With the most goals in football history at 940, 138 of them count towards the most-ever international goals.

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He also has the record for international caps on 221, while he’s alone in achieving the feat of scoring in five different World Cups.

The 40-year-old looks well placed to extend that record at the 2026 edition in the Americas, but the same can’t be said for rival Messi.

The Inter Miami striker scored a brace in a 3-0 win over Venezuela last time out for an already-qualified Argentina.

Messi was in tears at full-time as he’d announced pre-match it would be his last home game for his country.

Post-match, he then dropped the bombshell that he may also not hang around next year for one last dance with Ronaldo.

“I don’t think I’ll play in another World Cup,” he said. “The most logical thing is that it won’t happen, but here we are.

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“I’m hopeful and eager. But it’s day by day, game by game.”

He added: “This year we had a lot of matches, a lot of sequences of games. Luckily, I was able to play three in a row; it’s day by day, feeling the sensations.

“It’s clear that today was the last one with points at stake here, but day by day I try to feel good and, above all, be honest with myself. If I feel good, I enjoy it. If I feel bad, I’d rather not be here.”