Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first male player in history to score 900 goals in official matches, reaching his latest milestone on Thursday in Portugal’s UEFA Nations League match against Croatia in Lisbon.
Ronaldo scored the historic goal with a 5.5-meter volley from a Nuno Mendes cross, giving Portugal a 2-0 lead in the 34th minute. Portugal eventually won 2-1.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is 58 goals ahead of his closest rival Lionel Messi with 842. Brazilian football legend Pelé is third on the list with 765 goals.
Ronaldo was also the first to break the 800-goal mark, doing so in late 2021 during his second spell at Manchester United.
The Portuguese captain’s 131 international goals in 209 appearances are also the highest ever. Messi is again second on that list behind Ronaldo; he and former Iranian striker Ali Daei have both scored 109 goals.
In addition to Al Nassr and Man United, Ronaldo has also split his 769 club goals between Sporting CP, Real Madrid and Juventus.
The 39-year-old has made it clear that he has no intention of slowing down any time soon and recently said he already has his next goal in mind.
“I want to score 1,000 goals,” he told his former Man United teammate Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, estimating that he could reach that historic mark at around age 41. “If I don’t have any injuries, that’s the most important thing for me, that’s what I want. For me, the best mark I can achieve in football is to score 900 goals first. After that, my challenge is to score 1,000 goals.”
Ever competitive, Ronaldo was quick to highlight what sets his goals apart from those of other all-time goalscorers, including legends like Pelé and Alfredo Di Stéfano, who played in an era before cameras.
“All my goals are on video,” he said. “They are all on video. Listen, I respect all of them (Pele and Di Stefano). And if you want more goals, I can bring them from training too. And I will prove it to people afterwards. You prefer this player or he is the best. I don’t care.”
