With Messi grabbing all the headlines in the summer transfer window, Cristiano Ronaldo decided that it was the time for him to take the spotlight and he did just that last night in Stockholm.
Ronaldo on Tuesday added another feat to his extraordinary list of milestones by becoming the first European footballer to reach 100 international goals.
The 35-year-old Ronaldo becomes just the second male player to reach a century of goals for a national team when he curled a free-kick brilliantly into the top corner from 25 meters for the first of his two strikes in Portugal’s 2-0 away win against Sweden in the Nations League on Tuesday.
Scoring one of the best goals of his international career was a fitting way to enter the “100 Club,” where he joins former Iran striker Ali Daei, and he wheeled away in delight in an empty Friends Arena in Stockholm before performing his trademark celebration the mid-air pirouette.
Ronaldo, who was playing in his 165th game for Portugal, then added a second goal another curler into the top corner, and needs nine more to surpass the international record of 109 scored by Daei from 1993-2006.
The five-time Ballon D’or winner already holds the record for goals in the Champions League with 131,16 more than nearest rival Lionel Messi and has now scored an international goal for the 17th straight calendar year.
Portugal has now won its two opening group games in UEFA Nations League after beating Croatia 4-1 on Saturday when Ronaldo was absent because of a toe infection.