I don’t chase records,” Cristiano Ronaldo has been forced to stress more than once in recent years. “They chase me.” The statistical landmarks appear to be pretty quick. A brace for Ronaldo in Portugal’s 5–0 thumping of Armenia on Saturday afternoon provided the veteran international with yet another scoring milestone to savor.

More than 20 years after their professional debuts, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi continue to battle for global soccer supremacy week after week. Now the Portuguese forward has pulled ahead of the Argentine star in one more milestone—one that puts him within striking distance of history in World Cup qualifiers.

Cristiano Ronaldo's quest to play in a record sixth World Cup began in spectacular fashion with two goals as Portugal made a winning start to its qualifying campaign by routing Armenia 5-0. Ronaldo's goals extended his record as the highest scorer in men's international football to 140 and underlined his enduring motivation to keep setting benchmarks before his storied career comes to an end.