Cristiano Ronaldo took another colossal stride toward uncharted territory on Thursday, netting a second-half hat trick to reach 985 career goals in Al-Nassr’s wild 5-3 victory over Al-Kholood. The Portuguese icon now sits just 15 goals away from becoming the first footballer in verified official history to achieve the monumental 1,000-goal milestone, but how is Lionel Messi doing?
While Ronaldo has sprinted out to a 49-goal lead at the top of the all-time scoring charts, Lionel Messi remains firmly in pursuit. Messi currently sits on 936 official career goals across 1,181 appearances for Argentina, FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Miami.
Despite Ronaldo being closer to the four-digit mark, Messi is more than two years younger and has played over 150 fewer matches. As both legends navigate the twilight of their iconic careers in Riyadh and Miami respectively, whether Messi joins Ronaldo at the 1,000-goal summit will ultimately depend on how long he decides to extend his playing days.
Goal average per game puts Messi as the superior goalscorer
While Ronaldo holds the raw total volume advantage, efficiency metrics tell a distinctly different story in Messi’s favor:
| Metric | Cristiano Ronaldo | Lionel Messi |
| Official Career Goals | 985 | 936 |
| Official Career Matches | 1,341 | 1,181 |
| Goals Per Game Ratio | 0.73 | 0.79 |
| Minutes Per Goal | ~111 mins | ~104 mins |
| Career Assists | 307 | 466 |
| Total Goal Contributions | 1,292 | 1,402 |
Messi reaches the back of the net at a noticeably faster clip than his longtime rival, needing roughly seven fewer minutes of action for every goal scored. Furthermore, when factoring in Messi’s incredible record of 466 career assists, the Argentine averages a goal contribution every 68 minutes.
Are there any other players near 1,000 official goals?
Under FIFA, UEFA, and official modern statistical criteria, no other footballer in history is anywhere close to 1,000 official goals. While folklore and friendly matches have famously elevated the unofficial numbers of legends like Pele (who claimed over 1,280 goals) and Romario (who celebrated a 1,000th goal in 2007), their verified senior competitive counts stand well below that threshold.
Among all active footballers worldwide, the only player even within shouting distance of the 700-goal club is Robert Lewandowski, who sits just past 700 career goals. The race to 1,000 official goals is a stratosphere occupied solely by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with the rest of world football trailing literally hundreds of strikes behind.
Key takeaways
- Cristiano Ronaldo reached 985 career goals after scoring a hat trick against Al-Kholood Club.
- Lionel Messi has 936 official career goals across 1,181 appearances.
- Robert Lewandowski has surpassed 700 career goals, ranking as the only other active player near that milestone.
