Age is only a number for Cristiano Ronaldo. His ambition to break fantastic records in the world of football has not died out at the age of 35.
Together with Portugal, Ronaldo is determined to pursue the all-time international record goalscorer held by former Iranian striker Ali Daei.
Currently, CR7 has collected 102 goals in the international arena after helping Portugal to win 7-2 over Andorra in a trial match on Thursday (12/11).
That record leaves the Juventus forward only seven goals behind Ali Daei, who still holds the record for top scorer for the national team.
CR7’s goal collection could have been more if he weren’t bothered by injuries and also had exposure to Covid-19 which forced him to miss defending Portugal.
Ronaldo’s opportunity to add another goal coffers in the national team is wide open because Portugal will still undergo a series of UEFA Nations League matches.
But the challenge of catching up to Ali Daei’s record for goals in the near future will not be easy. Because Portugal will meet France in the UEFA Nations League continued at Benfica, Sunday (15/11).
Portugal has faced France in the same event in mid-October. At that time, Ronaldo was unable to score and the match ended in a draw with a score on glasses.
At the moment Ronaldo has twofold motivation to score against France in Lisbon. Moreover, the owner of five Ballon d’Or goals is chasing Ali Daei’s record.
Portugal and France may appear carefree because each of them has secured a place in the European Cup round.
Portugal is currently top of the Group 3 standings of the UEFA Nations League A with 10 points and is only superior on goal difference from France who are stalking in second place.
However, Ronaldo’s ambition to increase the collection of goals against France is not an easy matter. The team faced is the owner of the 2018 World Cup title.
Ronaldo’s space in midfield is predicted to be limited by N’Golo Kante, who has above average stamina.
Duet defender Presnel Kimpembe and Raphael Varane are also ready to brave individual Ronaldo action in the final third area.
But it’s not Ronaldo if he doesn’t have a way to dismantle the opponent’s defense even though it’s not easy to break into the Rooster Team’s goal that is escorted by Hugo Lloris.
After facing France, Ronaldo will face the 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia. Again, it is not an easy opponent for Ronaldo to concede a lot of goals.
Luka Modric et al will be Portugal’s last opponents in 2020. Despite being ranked third in Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League A, Croatia has also confirmed their ticket to the 2020 European Cup.
This means that Ronaldo’s ambition to pursue the top scorer title in international matches will be difficult to materialize in 2020. Because the opponents they face are France and Croatia.
Ronaldo’s opportunity to surpass Ali Daei’s record could have been realized if the 2020 European Cup was held on schedule.
The tournament, which was participated by the best teams of the Blue Continent, was originally scheduled to start on June 12, 2020. However, it had to be canceled due to the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic hitting the world.
UEFA decided to postpone the 2020 European Cup until 11 June 2021. This schedule could still change in line with the conditions of the corona virus pandemic.
This situation makes Ronaldo’s ambition to carve his name in international football history books difficult to materialize this year.
However, Ronaldo’s opportunity to break the record for most international goalscorer is still wide open thanks to the player’s hard work to maintain fitness. Only a handful of footballers can keep goal productivity at the highest level by age 35.
