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Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo is on the hunt for a new milestone as he has been throughout his career. The 38-year-old can make 2023 his most successful in terms of international goals scored in Selecao's upcoming UEFA EURO 2024 qualifier encounter against Iceland.
Ronaldo has played a big role in his country's nine successive wins in Group J of the ongoing qualifiers, scoring ten times for Roberto Martinez's side. His most recent strike came in their 2-0 win over Liechtenstein on Thursday, November 16
So far in his illustrious international career, the most international goals Ronaldo has scored in a calendar year is 14, which he did in 2019. He has also scored 13 goals on two separate occasions, in 2016 and in 2021.
He now aims to make 2023 his most productive year yet in terms of goals scored for the Selecao. The forward has ten goals for Portugal in the calendar year and needs five goals against Iceland to make this his most productive year in international football.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been on the scoresheet in six of the eight matches he has played for Portugal this year. He scored twice each against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg in March before scoring once against Iceland in June. He has also scored five goals in his last three international games, which came against Slovakia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Liechtenstein.
If Ronaldo manages to score five times against Iceland, which is Portugal's last EURO qualifier game, he will set a new personal milestone for international goals in a calendar year. The 38-year-old has never scored five times in an international match but has done so at club level.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the pacesetter in international football
Cristiano Ronaldo has led his country to the European Championship in 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019. He also became the first men's footballer to play 200 international matches earlier this year.
The Portuguese has earned multiple accolades at the individual level as well. The Al-Nassr star holds the records for most goals (127) and most appearances (203) in international football history.
After the FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year, there were doubts over his future in the national team under Martinez. However, the former Real Madrid man has proven his worth playing alongside stars like Diogo Jota, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes.
With ten goals and an assist in eight games for Portugal this year, captain Ronaldo is a big part of their successful EURO 2024 qualifying campaign.
