Cristiano Ronaldo by the numbers as he auditions for the Club World Cup

Sport

Cristiano Ronaldo by the numbers as he auditions for the Club World Cup

2025-06-06 18:45 Last Updated At：18:50

Evergreen and still setting records at 40 years of age.

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to deliver at the highest levels of international soccer after guiding Portugal to the final of the Nations League.

Ronaldo captained the team and scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Germany in their semifinal on Wednesday to set up a showdown Sunday with Spain.

The goal – Ronaldo’s 137th for Portugal – extended his record as the leading scorer in men's international soccer. He broke the record as a 36-year-old by scoring twice in a European qualifier against Ireland in September 2021. That took his tally to 111 goals in 180 games for Portugal, surpassing the previous mark by Iran's Ali Daei.

Before tucking away Nuno Mendes’ cross for a tap-in against Germany, Ronaldo had gone close with a header, while he was also just inches from breaking the deadlock after the halftime break.

His performance was a timely reminder for any teams playing at the Club World Cup that he’s potentially available to join them for the tournament starting in the United States on June 14.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino previously suggested Ronaldo could switch to one of the 32 participating clubs because of a unique transfer window created for the tournament.

Ronaldo, who’s still contracted to Saudi team Al-Nassr until the end of June, has been linked with several of the particpating clubs, including Brazil’s Palmeiras and Wydad of Morocco, even though that club is banned by FIFA from registering new signings.

A switch to Al-Nassr’s bitter Riyadh rival Al-Hilal – the one Saudi club that qualified – has been mooted as a short-term solution to having Ronaldo play at the Club World Cup, where his great rival Lionel Messi will be playing with Inter Miami.

FIFA would welcome the boost Ronaldo’s presence can provide for ticket sales at the tournament, but such a switch to a bitter local rival for a short period would be unthinkable for players in Europe’s leagues.

Both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal are among the four big Saudi clubs backed by the country’s Public Investment Fund, which has a 75% stake in each. The PIF may put the national interest above that of Al-Nassr and strive to keep Ronaldo representing Saudi interests at the Club World Cup.

On Thursday, FIFA announced PIF as an “ official partner ” of the Club World Cup. Saudi state money is also effectively funding the tournament's broadcasting deal that has largely backed its $1 billion prize fund being shared among the participants.

Ronaldo didn’t just add to his record goals-tally against Germany. Just by playing on Thursday he made his record-extending 220th international appearance.

137 – International goals scored

220 – International games played

6 – European Championship tournaments played

5 – European Championship tournaments scored (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020)

30 – European Championship match appearances

74 – European Championship appearances including qualifying

14 – European Championship goals

55 – European Championship goals including qualifying

5 – World Cup tournaments scored (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)

52 – European Championship and World Cup appearances combined

22 – European Championship and World Cup goals combined

197 – UEFA club competition appearances

145 – UEFA club competition goals

140 – Champions League goals

67 – Goals in Champions League knockout games

17 – Goals in a Champions League season (2013-14)

183 – Champions League appearances

11 – Consecutive Champions League games scored

3 – Champions League finals scored

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

America In Focus: mortgage rate rises while Wall Street looks to continue its winning ways

The economy, inflation and how those forces could impact the lives of Americans were front and center over the past week. Trips to the grocery store or gas station are more painful than they were last year, and that is impacting the decisions of both households and businesses.

Here’s a snapshot of prominent economic data and news that occurred over the past week and what it potentially means for you.

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in nearly nine months, driving up borrowing costs for homebuyers during what’s traditionally the housing market’s busiest time of the year.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.51% from 6.36% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. Despite the sharp increase, the average rate remains below 6.86%, where it was a year ago.

Rates have been mostly trending higher since the war with Iran began. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has roiled energy markets, sending crude oil prices sharply higher — a key driver of inflation.

Expectations of higher oil prices and worries about big and growing debts for the U.S. government and others have pushed up long-term bond yields, causing mortgage rates to head higher.

U.S. retailers have spent months navigating an uncertain economic environment, from President Donald Trump’s tariffs to the impact of soaring gasoline prices due to the Iran war. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline rose again this week, ending at about $4.55 per gallon on Friday, according to AAA. Gasoline prices are about 45% above where they were at this time last year.

Based on quarterly financial reports from Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s and TJX, shoppers are cautious but still spending, helped by more generous tax refunds. Yet there is a widespread belief among economists that once those refunds dry up, shoppers will pull back on spending. Consumer spending is the dominant economic engine for the U.S., and retreat would have broad implications for the U.S.

Walmart issued a forecast for the current quarter on Thursday that was weaker than what Wall Street had been expecting. Target raised its annual revenue outlook on Wednesday, saying it expected momentum to continue the rest of the year. Yet the upgraded sales expectations were still below the pace of the first quarter.

Fewer Americans filed for jobless aid last week as layoffs remain low despite a number of uncertainties that continue to cloud the economy.

U.S. applications for unemployment benefits for the week ending May 16 fell by 3,000 to 209,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 213,000 new applications analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet had forecast.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

Despite historically low layoffs, the labor market appears to be stuck in what economists call a “low-hire, low-fire” state. That’s kept the unemployment rate low at 4.3%, but left many of those out of work struggling to find new employment.

The split between Wall Street and most U.S. households grew even wider Friday, as U.S. stocks rose toward the finish of an eighth straight winning week, their longest such streak since 2023. That’s even though a survey showed on the same day that U.S. consumers are feeling worse about the economy.

Shares of Workday and Zoom Communications rose after both delivered better profit reports for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

They’re the latest companies to top analysts’ expectations for profits for the start of 2026. And the cavalcade of such reports has helped U.S. stocks remain near their records. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term.