September 3, 2021
The soccer world record held for 16 years by Iran’s Ali Daei for scoring the most goals in international competition has finally been surpassed.
Portuguese skipper Crist-iano Ronaldo paid tribute to Daei after surpassing his record during a 2-1 home field victory over Ireland at the 2022 European World Cup qualifiers September 1.
Ronaldo headed home an 89th-minute equalizer to go one goal above Daei’s record before bagging a second goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time to take his all-time tally to 111.
“From all the records that I have broken during my career,… this one is very special for me and it’s certainly on the shelf of the achievements that make me truly proud,” Ronaldo wrote in a message posted on his Instagram after the match.
He said one of the reasons that made him appreciate his latest achievement “is because Ali Daei has set the standards at such a high level that at some point even I started thinking that I might never catch him.”
Daei responded, “Your humility and kindness make you an even greater champion, Crist-iano. Long may your record last.”
Ronaldo, who now plays professionally with Manchester United, equaled Daei’s 109 goals by getting on the score sheet twice in a 2-2 draw against France at the European Championship in June.
Ronaldo praised the Iranian “Shariar” (‘the king’ in Persian, a nickname given to Daei by his fellow citizens) for keeping the record since his retirement in 2006.
“Congratulations to the ‘Shariar’ for holding the record for so long and thanks for always showing so much respect for me every time I scored and as I came closer and closer to his outstanding number,” Ronaldo said.
Daei and Ronaldo are the only two male players to have scored more than 90 goals in international soccer matches.
