CR700: Cristiano Ronaldo's 700th career goal not enough to save Portugal from defeat in Ukraine
Cristiano Ronaldo's status as one of football's greatest ever goalscorers was enhanced on Monday as he scored his 700th career goal away to Ukraine but it wasn't enough to save his side from defeat in the Euro 2020 qualifier.
The Juventus man scored a second half goal from the penalty spot after a foul by Taras Stepanenko saw the Ukrainian center half shown a second yellow card but despite the numerical advantage on the pitch, Ronaldo and Portugal couldn't find a second goal to salvage a point in Kiev after first half strikes from Roman Yaremchuk and Andriy Yarmolenko.
Also on rt.com Cristiano Ronaldo could have 50,000-seater stadium renamed after him in PortugalHowever, the five time Ballon d'Or winning forward will take a modicum of solace from the performance which saw him break new ground in his career goals tally.
Of the 700 goals that Ronaldo has now scored in his career for both club and country, they have come from just 973 games in which he has scored at least one goal on 458 occasions.
The goal, his 95th for Portugal, brings him closer to the all-time top international goalscorer Ali Daei whose 109 career goals sits him atop the standings.
It also places Ronaldo in rarified territory as one of just a handful of players to have recorded 700 strikes in their careers, including Pele, Romario, Ferenc Puskas and Gerd Muller.
Ronaldo still has a long way to go to surpass Josef Bican, who scored a remarkable 805 goals between 1931 and 1955. His chief rival in the modern game, Lionel Messi, currently stands at 672 goals for Barcelona and Argentina combined.
Of Ronaldo's goals, 450 of them were scored for Real Madrid while 118 of them were scored wearing Manchester United's colors.
Also on rt.com WATCH: Ronaldo scores superb lob as he edges closer to landmark 700 career goalsSpare a thought for Sevilla, who are the team Ronaldo has scored the most goals against (27). He has scored five international goals apiece against Sweden, Armenia, Latvia and Andorra.
The record extends Ronaldo's impressive career ledger which also shows records for the most Champions League goals scored, the most goals in a Champions League season and the most caps for Portugal, among others.
