Carlos Ruiz played his final match for Guatemala on Tuesday night, the 36-year-old striker hitting St. Vincent and the Grenadines for five goals in Los Chapines 9-3 victory. Unfortunately for Ruiz and Guatemala, it still wasn't enough as they were eliminated from 2018 World Cup contention, resulting in Ruiz's international retirement.
Finally, Cristiano Ronaldo can step out from underneath Ruiz’s shadow as the leading international goalscorer among active players. With the five goals on Tuesday, Ruiz ran his final international tally up to 68 goals in 133 appearances. Ronaldo’s scored 61 for Portugal. He's basically just a poor man's Carlos Ruiz.
Of those 68 goals for Carlos “El Pescadito” Ruiz, 38 came during World Cup qualifiers, eclipsing Iran’s Ali Daei as the most prolific goalscorer in the history of World Cup qualifying.
Outside of CONCACAF, Ruiz is relatively unknown. In America, Ruiz is somewhat notorious for earning the nickname “The Little Fish” — it certainly wasn’t given to him for his prowess in the pool or ability to hold his breath for long periods of time.
However, Ruiz was a consummate striker — finding the back of the net wherever he went in MLS. His goalscoring records for the LA Galaxy and FC Dallas saw him named MLS MVP in 2002 and MLS Golden Boot winner in both 2002 and 2003.
His 16 goals in 17 MLS playoff appearances is a mark that’s unlikely to ever be matched.
Fans of the USMNT, while having a profound respect for Ruiz, will be happy to see him go. The man was a glorious nuisance anytime his Guatemala side came up against the heavily favored Americans, particularly during a shock 2-0 victory for Guatemala back in March of 2016.
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