Since debuting for Italy against Hungary on 27 June 1965, Riva scored 35 goals in 42 appearances,[1] making him the country's all-time top goalscorer.
[1] Riva made his last appearance for Italy on 19 June 1974 in a 1–1 draw against Argentina during the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
[1] Riva scored a second hat-trick for his national team in a 4–1 win against Wales in a 1970 World Cup qualifier.
[1] On 31 March 1973, he scored four goals against Luxembourg during a 1974 World Cup qualifier.
[1] Riva's first international tournament was the UEFA Euro 1968, where he scored the opening goal in the replay of the final helping Italy to a 2–0 win against Yugoslavia.