Content Summary
Portugal History at FIFA World Cups:
Portugal has qualified for FIFA World Cup only 7 times out of the 21 editions so far. 5 of those qualifications came since 2002. Before that their only two appearances in World Cups were back in 1966 and 1986. Which is kind of a surprise considering how many top quality footballers Portugal has produced over the years.
As far as goalscoring is concerned, Cristiano Ronaldo leads most of the goalscoring charts for Portugal. He is not only Portugal’s all-time top scorer but he is also highest scorer in international football. However, in World Cups Eusebio lead the charts with his incredible 9 goals in 1966 world cup which fetched them 3rd place in the tournament (their best ever).
See also: Portugal’s World Cup History
Portugal Top Goalscorers In FIFA World Cup:
Incredibly Eusebio with only one world cup appearance back in 1966 leads the chart with 9 goals to his name. Cristiano will be playing his 5th World Cup in 2022 and he has a chance to overtake Eusebio if he can score 3 or more goals in the upcoming tournament.
#1. Eusebio
Goals: 9
Appearance: 7
FIFA World Cup: 1966
Eusebio’s incredible 9 goals in just 7 appearances all came in that historic 1966 world cup where they reached semifinals. Eusebio was by far the best player in the tournament and ended up with ballon dor that year.
#2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Goals: 7
Appearance: 17
FIFA World Cup: 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018
Ronaldo has been part of Portugal world cup squads on 4 occasions and set to make it 5 in 2022. His haul of 7 goals in 17 world cup matches put him second in this list.
#3. Pauleta
Goals: 4
Appearance: 9
FIFA World Cup: 1966
Eusebio’s incredible 9 goals in just 7 appearances all came in that historic 1966 world cup where they reached semifinals. Eusebio was by far the best player in the tournament and ended up with ballon dor that year.
Players With More Then 1 Goal For Portugal In FIFA World Cups:
21 players have scored for Portugal in FIFA World Cups and out of those only 7 players have scored 2 or more goals. 14 players have only scored once.
| RANK | PLAYER | GOALS | MATCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eusebio | 9 | 7 (1966) |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 7 | 17 (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) |
| 3 | Pauleta | 4 | 9 (2002, 2006) |
| 4 | José Augusto | 3 | 7 (1966) |
| 5 | José Torres | 3 | 7 (1966) |
| 6 | Maniche | 2 | 5 (2010) |
| 7 | Tiago | 2 | 5 (2010) |
| 8-21 | 14 players with 1 goal each |