Cristiano Ronaldo pointing
Maxisports / Bigstockphoto.com

Cristiano Ronaldo Makes More History with Record 900th Career Goal

Players / September 16, 2024

For most of us, just scoring one goal in professional football would have been enough to have satisfied our wildest dreams and ambitions as children. Cristiano Ronaldo… well, he now has 900 of the things, and he isn’t intent on hanging up his boots until he has got to 1,000 career goals.

You won’t be surprised to learn that no other footballer has even gotten close to 900 goals. Well, Ronaldo’s old frenemy, Lionel Messi, is close, but other than that nobody is within spitting distance of CR7s remarkable record. Like it or not, he truly is one of the best players ever to lace up a pair of boots.

The 900 Club

Ordinarily, being in a club in which you’re the only member can’t really be much fun. But Ronaldo will take it: he’s the only member of the 900 goals club, and – depending on the future action of Messi – he might remain its sole constituent for the foreseeable future.

The Portuguese ace brought up the 900 when notching a first-half goal for his country in a 2-1 win over Croatia. While those involved in football will claim they care little for records and milestones, the fact that Ronaldo broke down in tears as soon as the ball had hit the back of the net, you get a sense of what his legacy in the sport really means to him.

Just a couple of days later, Ronaldo fired in goal number 901 in a Nations League tie against Scotland. By the time you’re reading this, he may have added plenty more to his tally through his appearances for club and country.

Top Career Goal Scorers

Top career goal scorers
Ronaldo (Анна Нэсси), Messi (Кирилл Венедиктов), Pelé (Panini), Romário (Milly barzellai), Puskás (Unknown)

For context, it means that Ronaldo has scored 140 more goals than the legendary Pelé, 150 more than another Brazilian icon in Romário and the best part of 200 more than Ferenc Puskás, the Hungarian who, had he played in a different era, would almost certainly be recognised as one of the greatest ever players.

Of those still playing, Ronaldo’s nearest adversaries are Messi (838 goals at the time of writing) and Robert Lewandowski, who is way back on 635.

  • Cristiano Ronaldo – 901 goals*
  • Lionel Messi – 838 goals*
  • Pelé – 762 goals
  • Romário – 755 goals
  • Ferenc Puskás – 724 goals

If nothing else, the strength of company – and Ronaldo’s position atop the standings – should confirm just how remarkable his two-decade and more career has been.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s First Career Goal


Can you remember October 2002? No, me neither, but that was the month in which a gawky Ronaldo scored his first professional goal. It came against Moreirense, for Sporting Lisbon, in a game in which CR7, or plain old Cristiano as he was known back then, actually notched a brace. Incredibly, he would only play 25 games for Sporting before Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United came calling.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 100th Career Goal


The Portuguese ace enjoyed a remarkable time at Old Trafford, scoring 84 goals in 196 appearances. The 100th goal of Ronaldo’s professional career came for United against Tottenham in January 2008, with the forward dominating the FA Cup tie with a brace of goals. He would go on to win three Premier League titles and a Champions League at United, as well as the Ballon d’Or in 2008; at the age of just 23, becoming one of the youngest players in history to land the prestigious award.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 500th Career Goal


His exploits in Manchester earned Ronaldo a big money move to Real Madrid – at the time, at least, the £80 million transfer was the most expensive in football history. As you can imagine, CR7s goalscoring exploits weren’t hampered by his switch to the Galacticos: in fact, if anything, it took his game to all new levels.

He stayed at the Bernabeu for nine years, give or take, and in that time racked up an outstanding goal return: 292 games played, 311 goals scored. Incredibly, Ronaldo would score the 200th, 300th, 400th, 500th and 600th goals of his career at Madrid, with the 500th – a classic finish from the Portuguese ace in a Champions League tie against Malmo – an obviously mammoth milestone of his career.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 750th Career Goal


The Champions League clash between Juventus and Dynamo Kiev in December 2020 was notable for two major reasons. It was the first game in the competition to ever be refereed by a female official who was Stephanie Frappart taking the whistle.

It was also the contest in which Ronaldo, having swapped Madrid for Turin, notched the 750th goal of his career; tapping home before the nerve-racking wait for a VAR check to be completed. But he was onside, and another milestone in his already formidable career was ticked off.

Will Ronaldo Score 1,000 Career Goals?

Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo (canno73 / Bigstockphoto.com)

At the age of 39, the average professional football career is either winding down or already over. But you sense that with Ronaldo, this is a different kind of animal we’re talking about. He remains in great shape, clearly takes good care of himself – you only need to see his nutrition based endorsements on Instagram for evidence of that, and he will benefit from playing his twilight years in a Saudi Pro League that will grant him warm temperatures and amenable defences.

Time isn’t on his side in his quest for 1,000 goals, but if he can continue to net at a rate of around 30 a year, Ronaldo would *only* need to keep playing until after his 42nd birthday to bring up the milestone. Make no mistake: Ronaldo himself is very much aware of the potential feat within his grasp:

The day I feel like I’m not producing anything, not giving anything, I’ll pack my things and walk away [from football]. But right now, I still feel like I’m far from that day.

I want to reach 1,000.

So, is it impossible that Ronaldo will score his 1,000th goal? No. Is it likely? This is the greatest goalscorer that professional football has ever seen and anything is possible.