RONALDO HITS 900 CAREER GOALS: THE MILESTONES BEHIND THE ACHIEVEMENT - VORAKA

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN VORAKA

Article Published on 05 September 2024 by Meghan Prentiss | www.vorakamag.com

Cristiano Ronaldo reached a major career milestone on Thursday by netting the 900th goal of his extraordinary career.

At 39 years old, Ronaldo scored for Portugal during their Nations League match against Croatia, increasing their lead to 2-0.

The goal sparked an emotional response from the forward, who fell to his knees in tears near the corner flag.

This marked his 131st goal for Portugal, complementing the goals he has scored for clubs such as Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and his current team, Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo’s career spans more than two decades, making his longevity remarkable. To illustrate, a person born when he scored his first professional goal would now be 21 years old.

He first scored competitively for Sporting on October 7, 2002, when he was 17 years, eight months, and three days old, helping secure a 3-0 win over Moreirense with two goals.

Ronaldo then transferred to Manchester United, where he netted 118 goals in 293 appearances. In 2009, he moved to Real Madrid for a then-record 94 million euros (£80 million), scoring 450 goals in 438 matches over nine years with the club.

After leaving Real Madrid, Ronaldo joined Juventus in Italy, adding another 101 goals to his tally during his three-year stay. He returned to Manchester United, contributing 27 goals in 54 games before moving to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia in 2023, where he has already netted 68 goals and counting.

Is Ronaldo Football's All-Time Leading Scorer?

Although there is no official database for football's top scorers, Ronaldo has already set the benchmark for goals in official high-level matches, having surpassed 800 goals during his second stint at Manchester United.

Brazilian football icons Pele and Romario both claimed to have scored over 1,000 goals, but when excluding friendlies, those numbers drop to the 700s.

Unofficial statistics from the RSSSF state that Pele scored 778 goals, while Romario netted 785.

Ronaldo’s long-time rival Lionel Messi has so far amassed 867 goals in his career.

'I Want 1,000' – Ronaldo's Ambitions Continue.

While Ronaldo is now 39, he remains determined to keep playing until he reaches the monumental goal of 1,000 career goals.

In a conversation with his former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand on Ferdinand’s YouTube channel, Ronaldo expressed confidence that he could reach this milestone within the next few years.

"I want to reach 1,000 goals," he said. "If I stay injury-free, this is my main objective. All of my goals are recorded on video."