Cristiano Ronaldo became the first male player in history to score 900 goals in competitive 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 six-yard volley from Nuno Mendes' cross to put Portugal 2-0 up in the 34th minute. Portugal went on to win 2-1.
“It means a lot,” Ronaldo said. “It was a milestone I had wanted to reach for a long time. I knew I would reach this figure, because as I continued to play, it would happen naturally.”
In celebration, Ronaldo put his hands to his face and fell to his knees.
“It was exciting because it's a milestone,” he said. “It seems like just another milestone, but only I and the people around me know how hard it is to work every day, to be physically and psychologically fit, to score 900 goals. It's a unique milestone in my career.”
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is 58 goals clear of his nearest rival, Lionel Messi, who has 842. Brazilian legend Pele is third on the list with 765.
I dreamed about this and I have more dreams. Thank you all! image.twitter.com/2SS3ZoG2Gl
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) September 5, 2024
Ronaldo was also the first to break the 800-goal barrier, doing so in late 2021 during his second spell at Manchester United.
The Portugal captain's 131 international goals in 209 games are also the most of all time. Messi is again second behind Ronaldo on that list; he and former Iran striker Ali Daei have 109 goals each.
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 is already targeting his next goal.
“I want to reach 1,000 goals,” he told former Manchester 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.” [thing]That's what I want. For me, the best record I can have in football is to reach, first, 900 goals. Then, my goal is to reach 1,000 goals.”
Ever competitive, Ronaldo was quick to point out what would set his goals apart from those of other all-time greats, including legends such as Pele and Alfredo Di Stefano, who played in eras when cameras were not as prevalent.
“Every goal I've scored is on video,” he said. “They're all on video. Listen, I respect them all.” [Pelé and Di Stéfano]”And if they want more goals, I can bring them from training too. And then I will show people that they prefer this player or that this one is the best. That doesn't matter to me.”
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
