LISBON: Cristiano Ronaldo became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup qualifying after scoring twice as Portugal drew 2-2 with Hungary early this morning.

The 40-year-old striker scored his 40th and 41st goals in the qualifying campaign, surpassing the record set by former Guatemalan striker Carlos Ruiz, who amassed 39 goals between 1998 and 2016.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner equalised for Portugal in the 22nd minute from a pass from Nelson Semedo.

Ronaldo again found the finish before the break after receiving a pass from Nuno Mendes to put Portugal 2-1 ahead in the first half.

However, Hungary came back to equalise in injury time, delaying Portugal’s bid to qualify early for next year’s World Cup finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Ronaldo, who is also the record holder for the highest international scorer with 143 goals, is now eyeing his sixth appearance at the World Cup.

LONDON: Former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has rejected the chance to return to manage Rangers for a second time after the Scottish club faced a performance crisis, British media reported yesterday.

The 45-year-old former England captain was previously seen as a leading candidate to replace Russell Martin, who was sacked last week after just four months in charge.

However, according to reports, after holding positive discussions with the club’s management, Gerrard felt the time was not right for him to return to Ibrox.

Martin was sacked after Rangers won just one of their first seven Scottish Premier League games this season.

Gerrard coached Rangers from 2018 to 2021 and ended Celtic’s dominance when they won the 2020-21 league title before leaving the club to become manager of Aston Villa.

He then continued his career in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq, but resigned in January.

Other candidates linked with the Rangers manager’s job include Hearts coach Derek McInnes, former Rangers player Kevin Muscat and former Everton boss Sean Dyche.

MANCHESTER: Pep Guardiola has been advised to leave Manchester City by one of his most trusted individuals.

Guardiola’s former performance analyst, Carles Planchart, said the manager needed to take a break to ‘regenerate himself’ before looking for a ‘new project’.

The pair worked together at Barcelona, ​​Bayern Munich and Manchester City before Planchart left his role last season.

As someone who has worked with Guardiola for 18 years, Planchart believes that Guardiola needs to step back for a while if he wants to extend his coaching career.

Guardiola’s contract expires in 2027 and he has previously expressed his desire to take a break after leaving the Etihad Stadium – perhaps for up to ’15 years’, an indication that the daily pressures of being a manager are starting to become a burden like what happened to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

“It’s a personal decision he has to make. I think a project should last five or six years, no more than that,” Planchart told SPORT.

“But not just for him, but for everyone. After that, you need to regenerate yourself. As a friend, I would advise him to find a new project because he still has a long future.

“The main reason he’s been at City all this time is because they treat us like family, we’re allowed to work as if we were at home. He didn’t feel that way at Barca or Bayern.

“He was a football fanatic. His life was on the pitch. He was a genius, an inventor.

“His main strength is how he creates football. The hardest thing in life is to create; others just imitate. He is number one in this.”

MANCHESTER: Manchester United have spent a staggering £69.8 million to end the careers of their managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Now, current manager Ruben Amorim, who is struggling with on-field performance, could add to the club’s financial burden, with compensation of around 12 million pounds set to be paid if he is sacked before his first birthday on November 1.

United were expected to bounce back after finishing 15th last season – their worst finish in Premier League history – but after six games this season they are 14th with three defeats.

However, club insiders insist Amorim’s position is still safe for now. His league record is nine wins from 33 matches, including three wins over teams that were relegated last season.

United have already spent around £11 million to bring Amorim and his teammates to Old Trafford, and will incur further costs if they decide to terminate his contract, which expires in June 2027.

Jose Mourinho received the highest compensation in United’s history, while Louis van Gaal was sacked just two days after lifting the FA Cup.

Although this figure of almost 70 million pounds is large, it is not the highest in England because Chelsea, for example, has exceeded 100 million pounds since 2003.

United remain a high-earning club, but poor form and the absence of Champions League football are beginning to take their toll on their finances.

Ahead of the match against Sunderland this weekend, the club’s management insists they have not yet named a replacement for Amorim, despite pressure on the Portuguese manager increasing.

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Arne Slot is facing increasing pressure after two consecutive defeats that have exposed the team’s weaknesses and raised questions about the balance of The Reds’ squad this season.

Liverpool, who started the season with seven consecutive wins, lost 0-1 to Crystal Palace before losing again when they travelled to Galatasaray in the Champions League after Victor Osimhen’s first-half penalty was the deciding factor.

Despite dominating the match with 16 attempts on goal, Liverpool failed to score, raising concerns about the direction of Slot’s team.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool’s problems are not just the defeat itself, but rather have been evident since the start of the season.

“He (Florian Wirtz) is not going to be a success at all. He is a young player, just coming to a new league and there is still a long way to go. But for now, he needs to be removed from the starting lineup.

“Liverpool need to get back to last season’s form, rebuild their confidence and tidy up their defence. Right now they’re a bit of a mess,” said Carragher.

The previous club made a major overhaul with spending of almost 450 million pounds including bringing in Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for 116 million pounds and Alexander Isak for 125 million pounds.

However, neither of them have made a big impact apart from Hugo Ekitike who only scored three league goals but was suspended after being shown a red card.

Liverpool’s problems also involved the defensive line as Ibrahima Konate received heavy criticism while young centre-back Giovanni Leoni suffered a serious knee injury on his debut.

Slot, who also lost first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker due to injury, now faces a tough challenge ahead of a tough match against Chelsea this weekend.