Cristiano Ronaldo breaks Lionel Messi’s record with a brace against Armenia in FIFA WC Qualifiers

Cristiano Ronaldo led Portugal to a 5-0 victory over Armenia in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, scoring a brace that took his record to 38 goals in qualifiers, surpassing Messi's record of 37.

Image | FIFA.com

With this stunning brace on September 6, 2025, in Yerevan, Cristiano Ronaldo led Portugal to a resounding 5-0 victory over Armenia in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. The 40-year-old legendary forward not only helped seal the win but also etched his name deeper into football history by breaking Lionel Messi’s record for the most goals scored in World Cup qualifiers.

What happened?

Ronaldo’s brace in the match brought his tally in World Cup qualifiers to an unprecedented 38 goals, surpassing Messi’s previous record. Additionally, these goals took him to an astounding total of 140 international goals, further cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players ever.

Joao Felix (10 & 61) and Joao Cancelo (32) also scored for the Nations League winners alongside Ronaldo’s brace.

Across his illustrious career, Ronaldo has now netted 942 goals at club and international levels, showcasing unparalleled consistency and longevity.

Read Also: 8 players who won the most matches in FIFA World Cup history.

Ronaldo goes past Messi

Messi, who also had scored a brace in his probable final home match in Argentina’s 3-0 win against Venezuela, had become the top scorer in FIFA World Cup qualifiers’ history. The Argentine striker went past Cristiano Ronaldo to grab the record.

But the Portuguese legend took just only one match to go past Messi’s record, set just about 24 hours ago. Not only that Ronaldo scored a stunner from outside the box to make football fans believe that he has still got it, even at the age of 40.

Read Also: FIFA World Cup 2026: When and where is the World Cup draw?

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