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16 years ago at Euro 2004, an up-and-coming teenager named Cristiano Ronaldo netted his first goal for Portugal in their opening group match against Greece.
Fast forward to 2020, and CR7 is not only one of sport's biggest names, he is now also the second man in history to score more than 100 international goals.
He hit the milestone by scoring twice in Portugal's 2-0 Nations League win over Sweden.
It brings Ronaldo's overall tally to 101 goals, just eight shy of the world record of 109 held by Iran's Ali Daei.
Photo via Reuters
Here, we've compiled some stats to illustrate just how impressive his achievement is, and why many regard him as the Greatest Of All Time:
Ronaldo's closest contenders - India's Sunil Chhetri and Argentina's Lionel Messi - are miles behind with only 72 and 70 international goals respectively.
His tally includes six hattricks, 30 goals in World Cup qualifying, 31 in European Championship qualifying, seven at the World Cup Finals and nine at the Euros.
He has scored against 41 different opponents on his way to the 101-mark.
He is the first-ever European player to hit a century of international goals, doing so in just 165 appearances for Portugal.
Unlike other players who slow down with age, 49 of Ronaldo's goals have come after his 30th birthday.
Photo via EPA
He may be known for his lethal right foot, but Ronaldo is no one-trick pony - 55 of his goals have been with his right foot, 22 with his left, and 24 via headers.
He has now scored as many international goals as Thiery Henry (51) and Robin Van Persie (50) combined. How's that for a comparison!
As impressive as Ronaldo has been so far, he's not done yet.
He remains a key member of the Portugal national team, and with 2022 World Cup qualifying (and potentially a place in the finals) yet to come, there are plenty of opportunities for Ronaldo to add to his tally.
by Nicholas Darren John
