Ronaldo surpasses Ali Daie’s tally, breaks all-time men’s international scoring record

Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 110th international goal to surpass Iran legend Ali Daie’s tally as he broke the all-time men’s scoring record in their World Cup qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday (local time).

Ronaldo first netted a goal in the dying minutes of the match to save the game and then fired another in the stoppage time as Portugal defeated the Republic of Ireland 2-1. With this goal, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has now scored 111 international goals and is now leading the charts.

Former footballer Daei scored 109 international goals during his 13-year long illustrious career. Ronaldo had earlier equalled the Iran legend’s record during Euro 2020.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson played a big role in roping the Portuguese striker for Manchester United. In his earlier stint with the Red Devils, Ronaldo led the side to three Premier League titles and the Champions League between 2003 and 2009, scoring 118 goals in 292 games under Alex Ferguson.

“As everybody knows, since I signed for Manchester United at 18, Sir Alex Ferguson was the key. I remember when we played against Manchester when I was at Sporting Lisbon. For me, Sir Alex Ferguson is like a father in football for me,” Ronaldo told MUTV.

“He helped me a lot, he taught me many things, and in my opinion, of course, he had a big role because of the relationship that we had, we keep in touch all the time, and he’s an unbelievable person. I really like him a lot and he was the main key for me to be in the position that I am, that I signed for Manchester United,” he added.

On Tuesday, the Premier League club confirmed that they have reached an agreement with Juventus for the transfer of Ronaldo, subject to agreement of personal terms, visa, and medical.