What a couple days it’s been for Cristiano Ronaldo! On Tuesday morning he was “re-unveiled” as the newest member of Manchester United, the club where he truly first established himself. On Wednesday night he became the all-time leading scorer in international men’s football.
Ronaldo bagged a brace for Portugal, in their 2-1 World Cup Qualifying win over Republic of Ireland, to reach 110 international career goals scored.
? He's done it!
?? @Cristiano (110)
?? Ali Daei (109)? A phenomenal run of 49 goals in his last 47 Portugal appearances makes the monster from Madeira the outright leading scorer in men's international history. Take a bow, legend ???? pic.twitter.com/WFO7XbuKr8
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 1, 2021
And he did with it with style, panache and drama. (Would you have expected anything less?). Ireland was up 1-0 (courtesy of a John Egan goal just before halftime) heading into the ’89 minute when the Portugese captain got his country finally on the board.
The Irish saw their potential victory disappear, and then it wasn’t long until they saw their probable result evaporate. Ronaldo scored the game-winner in the sixth minute of extra time. In other words, he delivered in Fergie Time.
“I’m so happy, not only for the record but for the special moments with two goals at the end,” Ronaldo said.
Man Utd's @Cristiano Ronaldo makes history!
He nets twice for Portugal to break the men's international goalscoring record ?? pic.twitter.com/ZSqfptGXWJ
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 1, 2021
“It was so tough, but we have to appreciate what the team did, they and the fans believed until the end of the game.”
Football is the world of Ronaldo, we are all just paying rent in it, and truly enjoying the show.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.