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October 21, 2025
At 40, Cristiano Ronaldo is still doing what he’s always done, scoring goals and defying time. His brace against Hungary wasn’t just another stat, it was another reminder that some players never fade. It got fans wondering: out of all these years, which version of Ronaldo burned brightest for Portugal?
Even at the ripe old age of 40, Cristiano Ronaldo refuses to slow down. The most prolific striker in football history was up to his old tricks once again in the 2026 World Cup qualifying, netting a brilliant brace in Portugal's clash with Hungary in Lisbon. Unfortunately, though, it wasn't enough to secure the victory and confirm qualification for next summer's showpiece just yet, as the Portuguese National Team left the capital with a 2-2 draw...
Cristiano Ronaldo - Performance against Hungary
It was clear early on that the Selecão were in for a difficult evening when Attila Szalai gave the visitors the lead after just eight minutes. The hosts responded promptly, and a first-half brace from CR7 gave them a 2-1 halftime lead, as well as making their iconic captain the record goalscorer in World Cup qualifying history. However, when Portugal was thinking that their place in North America next summer was secured, Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai slid home a last-gasp equalizer.
Ronaldo and Co. will now have to wait until next month to guarantee their spots at the World Cup. But even so, online betting sites still make Portugal quite the contender to leave MetLife Stadium next July with the famous gold trophy for the first time. The latest odds from the popular Bovada live betting site currently list the Selecão as a 12/1 shot at glory, the sixth shortest odds of anybody nine months out from the tournament.
Should Ronaldo continue in his current vein of form, then his side will certainly have a chance. The Al Nassr hitman has hit eight goals internationally in 2025, and he could well add more with Portugal scheduled to have two more games before the year is out. But where does the current calendar year stack up against Ronny's best throughout his storybook career? Let's take a look.
Ronaldo scored his 67th career hatty!
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) August 7, 2025
Bro is a legit cheat code 😳 https://t.co/8lmqz9jIuX
Ask any defender who faced Ronaldo in 2019, and they’ll recall a force of nature. At 34 — an age when many strikers eye up heading off into the sunset — the great man tore through the international calendar, amassing an absurd 14 goals in just 10 appearances. There was the night in Vilnius when CR7 uncorked a four-goal blitz on Lithuania, still to date the most he has ever scored in an international game. In the return fixture against the Baltic nation, he would hit another hat trick, taking his haul against them to seven goals.
But perhaps the signature chapter came in the glare of the inaugural UEFA Nations League. Against Switzerland in the semi-finals, Ronaldo, as ever, took center stage, firing a stunning hat trick to propel his side to the first-ever final. The then-Juventus man could only be described as relentless that year. There was a hunger to his play, a refusal to cede his throne as the greatest marksman in the game, and in the final against the Netherlands, CR7 would have yet another crowning moment.
While he wouldn't bag against the Oranje, Portugal still lifted the trophy courtesy of Goncalo Guedes' second-half strike. By year’s end, his tally for Portugal stood at 93 — each finish a brushstroke in an ever-growing portrait of greatness that still gets added to six years on.
Many said that Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't be considered as one of the all-time greats until he led Portugal to a first first-ever major trophy. In 2016, that moment finally came.
At UEFA Euro 2016, the Seleção weren't considered one of the favorites, even though their captain was arguably the best player on the planet on current form. In the group stages, it was clear why, with Portugal faltering every step of the way. Ronaldo, however, put his team on his back, dragging them kicking and screaming to the knockout round with a brace against Hungary in the final group game that allowed his side to sneak through.
Then, their campaign would become a story of survival. Portugal required extra time to beat Croatia in the second round, before a penalty shootout saw them past Poland and into the final four. Ronaldo's spring-heeled header against Wales in the semi-final, arching over defenders as if gravity had no claim, set up a destiny date with hosts France in the Paris showcase. There, however, in the iconic Stade de France, disaster struck.
Ronaldo, ever his side's talisman, was downed with an untimely first-half injury. After being carted off, their leader remained his side's beating heart, only this time from the touchline — urging, cajoling, shepherding a young team in their hour of need. Ultimately, his showmanship spurred his team on, and unheralded striker Eder uncorked a 30-yard rocket deep into injury time to secure the trophy.
While the five-time Ballon d'Or winner only scored three times at the European championships, he supplied a torrent of goals throughout the year as a whole, including a four-goal show against lowly Andorra in World Cup qualifiers, a burst that could only be described as vintage Ronaldo. Thirteen goals in thirteen games — steady, spectacular, and ever the difference maker, even from the touchline.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Al Nassr is on October 22, against Goa, for the the Champions League Two. You can watch Goa vs Al Nassr, Bayer Leverkusen vs PSG, Barça vs Olympiakos, Villarreal vs Manchester City, Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid and Newcastle United vs Benfica, all matches provided from our live football game pages.
Al Nassr next game:
Goa vs Al Nassr kick-off time (22-10-2025):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 21:45
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 19:15
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+3: 16:45
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 15:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 14:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 10:45
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 09:45
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 06:45
Sources: ronaldo7.net / beinsports.com / bbc.com
