Cristiano Ronaldo became the first men’s player in history to score 900 goals in official matches, reaching his latest milestone in Portugal’s UEFA Nations League match against Croatia in Lisbon on Thursday.
Ronaldo secured the historic goal with a volley from 6 yards off a cross from Nuno Mendes to put Portugal 2-0 up in the 34th minute. Portugal went on to win 2-1.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is 58 goals ahead of his nearest challenger, Lionel Messi, who is on 842. Brazilian legend Pelé is third on the list with 765.
Ronaldo was also the first to break the 800-goal barrier, doing so in late 2021 while in his second stint with Manchester United.
The Portugal captain’s 131 international goals in 209 appearances is also the most all-time. Messi is again second behind Ronaldo on that list; he and former Iran forward Ali Daei both have 109 goals.
As well as Al Nassr and Man United, Ronaldo also has divided his 769 club goals among Sporting CP, Real Madrid and Juventus.
The 39-year-old has made clear that he has no intention of slowing down any time soon and recently said he is already targeting his next goal milestone.
“I want to reach 1,000 goals,” he told his former Man United teammate Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, estimating that the historic mark could come around the age of 41.
“If I don’t have any injuries, this is the most important [thing] for me, and I want that. For me, the best mark that I can have in football is to reach 900 goals first. After, my challenge is to be at 1,000 goals.”
Ever competitive, Ronaldo was quick to point out what would set his goals apart from those of other all-time scorers, including legends such as Pele and Alfredo Di Stefano, who played in eras when cameras weren’t as prevalent.
He added, “All the goals I have scored, they have video.
“They all have 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 to the people after. They prefer this player, or this is the best one. I don’t care about that.”