Stats: Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the highest goal scorer in European Championship history
Cristiano Ronaldo rewrote the European Championship record books on Friday night against Armenia after scoring the winner in the 72nd minute of the match.
The Ballon d’Or holder has now scored 23 goals for his nation and currently stands as the highest goal scorer in the history of the European championships (both qualifiers and finals). By scoring against Armenia in front of the home fans, the Portuguese surpassed former Danish international John Dahl Tomasson who previously held the record with 22 goals.
After rescuing his side from an embarrassing draw against Armenia, Ronaldo admitted that breaking the record in front of the home crowd primarily satisfied him rather than the record itself.
"The record? It's just another one. I knew it would come sooner or later. I still have a lot of games to play,” he said.
I'm happy, mainly because I broke the record in front of our fans. It's a special moment," he added.
| Player | Goals | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 23 | 37 |
| John Dahl Tomasson | 22 | 31 |
| Hakan Sukur | 22 | 38 |
| Robbie Keane | 21 | 42 |
| Davor Suker | 20 | 22 |