Cristiano Ronaldo equals cult hero’s incredible World Cup qualifying goal record

Cristiano Ronaldo has bagged yet another piece of football history after equalling the record for most goals scored in World Cup qualifying.

The 40-year-old is still going strong for his country as he started in Portugal’s clash with Hungary at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on Tuesday night.

It proved to be a thrilling game as the home side took the lead, fell behind, equalised late in the match but then were beaten 3-2 thanks to an 86th minute Joao Cancelo goal.

Ronaldo scored Portugal’s second, netting from the penalty spot, which takes him to an immense 39 goals in World Cup qualifying matches alone.

He now needs one more goal to hold the outright record for most goals in World Cup qualifying, and it seems likely he will get it as Portugal still have four matches to play, against Ireland (twice), Hungary again and Armenia.

Currently hanging onto the record and sharing it with the legendary Portuguese is a man with a much smaller reputation, but a hero for his country and some of the clubs he played for.

Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz also scored 39 goals in World Cup qualifiers, netting 68 times for his country in total.

Ruiz played 133 times for Guatemala, he was also a huge hit in MLS for both LA Galaxy and FC Dallas.

He scored 61 times in 83 appearances in his first spell with Galaxy, then managed 36 goals in 68 outings for FC Dallas over three seasons.

He is also a club legend at Guatemalan side Municipal, where he started his career and returned for a second stint before his retirement in 2016.

Ronaldo’s goal against Hungary took his international tally to 141, 27 clear of his closest rival, Lionel Messi who has scored 114 times for Argentina.

Ronaldo didn’t reference the record in a celebratory Instagram post after the win, simply writing: ‘Two games , two wins. Let’s go Portugal!’

The win for Portugal made it two victories from two games for Roberto Martinez’s side after they beat Armenia 5-0 in their previous outing.

Speaking after the win, Martinez said: ‘Every game is different, but we found the solutions I think are important.

‘Hungary has a very good counterattack, we defended very well overall, and we controlled the game. We had very good possession. Two shots, two goals. It’s difficult when you concede two goals.

‘I loved the attitude, the focus. At times, we lacked better control of the game, taking the game where we wanted, because Hungary had quick attacks. It’s a perfect game to improve and adjust aspects. Overall, the focus was incredible. The players who came on helped, making a difference. An important victory.’

Hungary boss Marco Rossi was frustrated after coming so close to getting a result against the star-studded Portugal side, especially after spurning a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Ireland earlier in the international break.

‘We have to admit we played against one of the strongest teams in the world,’ he said. ‘They’re at the top of Europe with Spain. I don’t know who else could be as strong, maybe Brazil or Argentina. They’re in the top 5. We have to be humble and admit that against Portugal, losing is part of the game.

‘We played two matches and lost three points. To tell the truth, I don’t know what the commentators’ opinions were, especially since I don’t even read the media anymore.

‘Against Ireland, we didn’t lose two points because of our own mistake; we lost because of the referee. It’s worth watching his decisions from start to finish. Today we lost 3-2 to Portugal, which is worth a billion euros!

‘They have three or four players in the top 30 for the Ballon d’Or, and we see the clubs they play for. I’m not Jesus Christ, and neither are the players. He’s the one who works miracles. We don’t have players like Portugal, where if you change the starting 11, nothing changes.’