Cristiano Ronaldo has scored some screamers down the years, so we’ve decided to take a look at his finest for Portugal so far.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s outrageous statistics down the years have left nobody in doubt over his place in history. His goal tally is off the roof, and it will only grow as the seasons roll by.
His scoring prowess hasn’t been limited to club football either. In fact, Ronaldo holds the record for the most international goals in football history and has helped Portugal win the European Championship and UEFA Nations League.
So, in honor of CR7’s mind-blowing achievements, we give you our top 5 selections of Ronaldo goals for Portugal.
Late screamer against Denmark
Believe it or not, Ronaldo can be a right dab hand at firing in unstoppable free-kicks.
One such example came in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Denmark, where Portugal were trailing 2-0 into stoppage-time. While Ronaldo couldn’t spare the team from defeat, he still left his mark in Copenhagen with a trademark free-kick.
The Real Madrid legend swerved the ball into the top right-hand corner from approximately 30 yards out.
Crushes the Dutch dream
Ronaldo always somehow delivers when Portugal need him most, and Euro 2012 was no exception.
The Netherlands, who had lost their opening two matches, hoped to snatch a quarter-final spot by beating Portugal in their final Group B match. And a beauty from Rafael van der Vaart set them on their way.
But Ronaldo had other ideas and quickly equalized in the first half over in Ukraine. He then scored a stunning goal in the 74th minute to send Portugal to the quarter-finals.
Cannonball against Armenia
Picking a number one goal for Ronaldo is never an easy feat, but this one deserved a special mention.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner sent a blistering cannonball from outside the area to complete another hat-trick for Portugal against Armenia to wrap up a 3-2 victory in a Euro 2016 qualifier four years ago.
He also scored the only goal in a 1-0 win during Portugal’s other Group I match between the teams.
Stunning free-kick in World Cup opener
The 2018 World Cup opener against Spain in Russia was probably one of Ronaldo’s finest performances in a Portugal jersey.
The encounter was obviously overshadowed by the sudden dismissal of Spain coach Julen Lopetegui. By the final whistle, however, there was only one name on everybody’s minds – Cristiano Ronaldo.
The forward was simply sensational in Sochi, and kept Portugal going strong against the heavily-fancied Spain.
He then capped off, perhaps, one of the World Cup’s greatest-ever performances by scoring a memorable free-kick to complete his hat-trick and salvage a point for Portugal.
Outrageous back-heel in Euro 2016
While Portugal did win Euro 2016, it’s fair to say they didn’t look like potential winners at the start of the tournament.
The Navigators drew all three of their Group F games in France to finish third. However, they booked a spot in the last-16 anyway due to a superior goal difference over Turkey and Albania.
And Portugal’s final group match was anything but boring, with Ronaldo scoring an unbelievable back-heel against Hungary inside the area. He later scored a bullet header and set up Nani’s goal.
While his efforts were only enough to scrap a 3-3 draw in the end, though, it allowed Portugal to progress.
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