Cristiano Ronaldo achieved a massive milestone by becoming the first football player to score his 900th career goal during Portugal’s game against Croatia. It happened in a UEFA Nations League match held in Lisbon.
The five-time Ballon d’Or scored from close range after a well-timed cross from Nuno Mendes. Ronaldo managed to place the ball past Croatia’s goalkeeper, Livakovic. His closest competitor is Lionel Messi, who has scored 838 goals so far. The third name is Pele, who scored 762 goals.
The feat comes after Ronaldo’s recent performance in the EURO Cup, which was criticised by pundits. Despite playing five matches, the 39-year-old failed to score.
The 39-year-old began his professional journey with Sporting CP, netting four goals in 28 appearances. Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson signed him in 2003. Ronaldo scored 145 goals over six years at the English club.
His career hit new heights in 2009 when he transferred to Real Madrid, where he became a prolific scorer and won numerous titles. He won four UEFA Champions Leagues, three FIFA Club World Cups and two La Liga championships.
During his nine years at Real Madrid, CR7 netted 450 goals and became the club’s all-time top scorer. In 2018, he transferred to Juventus, adding 101 goals to his tally over four years. Following this stint,
Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United for two years, scoring 29 goals, before moving on to Al Nassr in 2022. To date, he has appeared in 74 matches for the Saudi Arabian club and scored 68 goals.
“It means a lot. It was a milestone I wanted to reach for a long time. I knew I would reach this number because as I continue to play, it would happen naturally,” Ronaldo said after the game, according to the Associated Press.
“It was emotional because it’s a milestone,” he added.
Ronaldo wants to score 1,000 goals
On his new YouTube channel, Ronaldo mentioned to ex-teammate Rio Ferdinand that he was aiming for his 1000th career goal.
“I want to reach 1,000 goals. If I don’t have any injuries, this for me is the most important (thing), I want that. For me, the best mark that I can have in football is to reach, first, 900 goals. After, my challenge is to be at 1,000 goals,” he said.
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