Cristiano Ronaldo seems eternal. At 40 years old, he remains active and performing at the highest level to help his Portugal national team stay alive in the UEFA Nations League. The star player scored against Germany to secure a 2-1 victory, propelling Portugal to the grand final and leaving behind a team that has historically dominated them.

Cristiano Ronaldo: The Great Hero Against Germany

The Portuguese footballer, with over 131 goals for Portugal, scored just his second goal in six matches against Germany across all competitions. Surprisingly, this marks the first victory he has achieved against this nation.

Before this match, Portugal had a historical record of 3 wins, 5 draws, and 11 losses against Germany, and this victory marks their fourth triumph. Their last win came in the Euro 2000, a 3-0 result in the group stage.

Moreover, this was Portugal’s first away win over Germany in 40 years (the last being in the 1985 World Cup qualifiers).

For years, Germany has been a true nightmare in Cristiano Ronaldo’s international career, with moments that deeply marked his journey with the Portugal national team.

It all began at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where the Portuguese fell to the hosts in the third-place match. Two years later, in the 2008 Euro quarterfinals, Ronaldo suffered another tough elimination at the hands of the German side.

The story repeated itself in the 2012 Euro, when Germany prevailed again, this time by a narrow margin, in the group stage. In the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the German team was ruthless, thrashing Portugal 4-0 in a match that left scars.

The most recent chapter between Cristiano and the Germans took place in the 2020 Euro, played in 2021 due to the pandemic. In that group stage, Germany once again outplayed Portugal, winning 4-2 and maintaining their dominance.

In total, Cristiano Ronaldo has faced Germany five times in official tournaments. The record is discouraging: five losses and just one goal for the all-time leading scorer in soccer history.