• Football

Records come naturally to me, says Ronaldo

ESPN staff
March 5, 2014
Can Ronaldo be stopped?

Cristiano Ronaldo has played down his latest record, claiming landmarks come naturally to him.

Ronaldo scored twice in Portugal's 5-1 friendly win over Cameroon on Wednesday to become his country's all-time top international goalscorer with 49 goals in 110 senior appearances.

His tally surpassed the previous mark set by former Paris Saint Germain forward Pauleta, who scored 47 times in his 88 caps.

But Portugal captain Ronaldo claimed he was always confident the record would be his because of the work he puts in and the team he has around him.

"I do not look to beat records," Ronaldo told national broadcaster RTP after the game. "This happens naturally, with a lot of effort, dedication, with the excellent national team we have, a good coach. I knew that sooner or later it was going to happen."

Ronaldo also equalled former Porto and Lazio defender Fernando Couto's mark of 110 international appearances in the game but trails winger Luis Figo's record of 127 senior caps for Portugal.

Portugal's other goals on the night came from Raul Meireles, Fabio Coentrao and Edinho, with Vincent Aboubakar replying for the visitors.

Ronaldo made his senior debut back in 2003 and overtook Pauleta's total with his first goal on Wednesday night.

The Ballon d'Or winner, who was making his 110th appearance, has scored 10 goals in nine games for Portugal in 2013, including a hat-trick against Sweden in the play-offs to book his nations' spot at this year's World Cup.

Meanwhile, France outclassed the Netherlands to win 2-0 in Paris. Karim Benzema grabbed his 19th goal for France with a stunning volley in the 32nd minute, with the goal being the seventh he has scored in his last six matches for club and country.

Blaise Matuidi then capped off a wonderful first half for France with a spectacular volley four minutes before half-time.

World and European champions Spain edged out Italy 1-0, with Pedro scoring the only goal, and Brazilian-born Diego Costa making his debut for Spain, with the Atletico Madrid striker choosing to play for Spain rather than Brazil, who he made two appearances for in 2013.

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