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Cristiano Ronaldo’s record-setting, 23-year international career is over after the superstar striker announced his retirement from playing for Portugal.
Here’s a look at some of his numbers and statistics:
6
Ronaldo is the only male player to score at six different World Cups. He played in every tournament since 2006, just like his great rival Lionel Messi. Unlike Messi, Ronaldo never lifted soccer’s greatest prize.
10
The number of hat tricks Ronaldo scored for Portugal. He was the first man to reach that figure in international soccer, doing so in 2021 with a three-goal display against Luxembourg.
11
The number of goals scored by Ronaldo at World Cups, putting him tied for ninth on the all-time list. His best scoring tournament was in 2018 in Russia, where he netted four times — including a hat trick against Spain in group play — before Portugal exited in the last 16.
23
Ronaldo scored at least one international goal for 23 straight calendar years. That streak started in 2004 when he netted his first goal for Portugal against Greece at the European Championship. His last goal was a penalty against Croatia at this year’s World Cup.
146
The number of goals by Ronaldo in international matches, a record in men’s soccer. That’s 20 more than his nearest rival on the all-time list, Lionel Messi.
234
Ronaldo also holds the world record for most appearances in men’s internationals — 26 more than second-placed Messi. His debut came against Kazakhstan in August 2003 as a halftime substitute replacing the great Luis Figo.
985
The number of goals by Ronaldo for club and country. He will have to complete his stated aim of reaching 1,000 career goals by continuing to score for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
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See AP’s full soccer coverage here
