Ronaldo record: Man Utd star breaks men's international goalscoring record

Cristiano RonaldoImage source, Getty Images

What a week for Cristiano Ronaldo!

Just a day after completing his move back to Manchester United, the striker has set a new world record.

Ronaldo scored twice for Portugal against the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday to break the record for goals scored in men's international football.

His 111 goals are now two ahead of previous record holder Ali Daei, who scored 109 goals for Iran between 1993 and 2006.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 28 headers for Portugal, including his two against the Irish

And it didn't stop there! The new Manchester United forward also equalled Sergio Ramos' European record for men's caps - with his 180th Portugal appearance.

Ronaldo, 36, said: "I'm so happy, not only because I beat the record, but for the special moment that we had. Two goals at the end of the game. I have to appreciate what the team did, we believed until the end. I'm so glad."

Ronaldo has a long way to go when it comes to the numbers achieved in the women's game.

Christine Sinclair has the highest goal scoring record of all time, for both women's and men's international football, having scored 186 times for Canada.

Who is previous record holder Ali Daei?

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Iranian striker Ali Daei played for Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin during his club career, but it was when he played for his country that he scored loads and loads of goals.

So much so, he was nicknamed 'Mr Goal' having scored an incredible 109 times in 149 matches for Iran.

At the time he finished playing in 2006, he was 25 goals ahead of any other player in history.

Incredibly, Daei's scoring record was achieved even after he missed two years playing for Iran because of compulsory military service in the Iranian Air Force.

Unlike Ronaldo, Ali Daei never scored at a major tournament. But the tall striker known for his moustache, did help Iran qualify for their first World Cup in 20 years at France 98.

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But who's the G.O.A.T?

Lionel Messi and Ronaldo have been competing with each other for well over a decade, often splitting opinion on who is the G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time).

The pair have won 11 of the past 12 Ballons d'Or trophies - the award for the best player in the world - with Messi winning six and Ronaldo, five.

Apart from his new international goalscoring record, Ronaldo is also the top scorer in Champions League history (a competition he has won five times).

Messi is La Liga's all-time top scorer and the Argentine has won the Champions League four times.

But who do you think is the greatest? Let us know in the comments below.