The stat in which CR7 leaves Messi miles behind

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·13 Juni 2026

The stat in which CR7 leaves Messi miles behind

When it comes to breaking records for national teams, it’s hard to compete with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal’s captain holds the world record for official appearances (228) and goals scored (143), but there is one specific stat where he leaves the competition — including Lionel Messi — far behind.

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According to data from the website Transfermarkt, reported by the Portuguese newspaper A Bola, the Al-Nassr star is, by a wide margin, the top scorer in international football after turning 30.

Curiously, CR7 has found the net far more often after entering his 30s than in the first half of his professional career.

Although his overall lead over Lionel Messi is already clear, the gap becomes striking when we look at the goals scored after the age of 30.

The Argentine only managed to surpass his own pre-30 goal tally last week, when he found the net against Iceland.

Messi does not even rank second on this historical list, having been overtaken by a legend of Asian football.

Check out the Top 15 national-team scorers after the age of 30:

1st Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): 91 goals (52 before 30)

2nd Ali Daei (Iran): 63 goals (47 before 30)

3rd Lionel Messi (Argentina): 59 goals (58 before 30)

4th Sunil Chhetri (India): 52 goals (37 before 30)

5th Olivier Giroud (France): 36 goals (21 before 30)

6th Jan Koller (Czech Republic): 34 goals (21 before 30)

7th Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden): 34 goals (28 before 30)