Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and Norway striker Erling Haaland will face each other on the pitch for the first time on Sunday when their national teams meet in the UEFA Nations League. The Group A4 second matchday fixture takes place at the Ullevaal Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 20:45 local time (19:45 in Lisbon). French referee François Letexier will officiate the match.
The clash marks the first direct meeting between the two global stars, who are separated by a 15-year age gap and find themselves at vastly different stages of their careers. While the 41-year-old Ronaldo is approaching the final chapter of his career, the 26-year-old Haaland has emerged as a serious threat to several of the Portuguese legend's international scoring records.
Ronaldo, who turns 42 in February next year, continues to pursue his milestone of 1,000 career goals as he reinforces his legacy in international football. When he made his senior debut for Portugal on August 20, 2003, Haaland had only just celebrated his third birthday. Over a 23-year international career, Ronaldo has set benchmarks once considered unattainable.
Ronaldo's international goal records
Ronaldo stands as the all-time top scorer in men's international football with 146 goals for Portugal, making him the only European player to pass the century mark. His international haul includes a record 14 goals at European Championship final tournaments, 41 goals in World Cup qualifiers, 41 goals in Euro qualifiers, and 10 hat-tricks for his country.
At World Cup final tournaments, Ronaldo has scored 11 goals across six appearances, sharing the record for most tournament appearances with Argentina's Lionel Messi. However, his World Cup tally remains well behind France's Kylian Mbappé, who has scored 22 goals in the tournament. In the UEFA Nations League, Ronaldo has recorded 15 goals since the competition was established.
Haaland's rapid rise for Norway
Born in Leeds, 26-year-old Haaland has compiled an extraordinary scoring record of his own, netting 64 goals in 56 appearances for Norway. He has already broken Norway's all-time scoring record, surpassing the previous mark of 33 goals set by Jorgen Juve in 1937.
Globally, Haaland ranks 35th among all-time men's international goalscorers. Although he remains far behind Ronaldo overall, the Manchester City striker has already surpassed Ronaldo in the UEFA Nations League, leading the tournament's all-time charts with 21 goals compared to Ronaldo's 15.
Haaland has also demonstrated remarkable efficiency in global competitions. In his single World Cup tournament appearance, he scored seven goals, leaving him just four behind Ronaldo's total of 11. In World Cup qualification matches, Haaland has reached 21 goals, putting him 20 behind Ronaldo's 41. He has also recorded six international hat-tricks, putting him on track to challenge Ronaldo's record of 10.
Previous near-misses and tournament milestones
Despite his prolific international scoring form, Haaland has yet to play in a European Championship final tournament, having scored six goals during Euro qualifying campaigns.
The two forwards came close to facing each other at club level in 2022 during a Premier League derby in Manchester. On that occasion, Ronaldo remained an unused substitute on the Manchester United bench, while Haaland scored a hat-trick for Manchester City.
