Even at 39, the records keep on coming his way. By finding the net for Portugal against Croatia on Matchday 1 of the 2024 UEFA Nations League, Cristiano Ronaldo reached an impressive 900 career goals.
33 minutes into the game, the Al Nassr superstar extended Portugal‘s lead by capitalizing on a great cross from Nuno Mendes. And of course, Ronaldo got emotional during his celebration.
Running towards the corner, the former Manchester United striker laid on the floor as everything started to sink in: he’d just reached yet another impressive milestone in his illustrious career.
Cristiano Ronaldo chasing 1000 career goals
Before the 2024 Nations League opener with Portugal against Croatia, Ronaldo made it clear that while he’d be happy to set this record, he didn’t make a big deal about it. In fact, he dared to set 1000 goals as his next challenge.
“I will score 900 goals soon but I want to reach 1000 goals,” said Ronaldo, who also let everyone know he’s prioritizing to succeed with Portugal in this competition – even if he already won it in 2019.
“The motivation is to come to the national team and win the Nations League and repeat the achievement again,” Cristiano added in a press conference earlier in the week.
Breaking down Cristiano Ronaldo’s 900 career goals
Ronaldo boasts an astonishing 900 career goals for club and country. 450 of them were with Real Madrid, where became the club’s all-time top scorer. With Portugal, Cristiano became the record international top-scorer with 131 goals (and counting).
- Real Madrid- 450
- Man Utd – 145
- Juventus – 101
- Sporting – 5
- Al-Nassr- 68
- Portugal- 131
Is Cristiano Ronaldo planning to play in the 2026 World Cup?
Even though Ronaldo keeps on setting records, he’s not getting any younger. The age factor starts to become a thing at this stage of his career, which is why his presence in the 2026 World Cup looks unclear.
In the meantime, Cristiano is not ruling out making a record sixth straight appearance in the sport’s biggest event. However, there’s a long way to go before he can confirm or rule out this possibility.
“I feel good, almost good. But it’s 2026 and I can’t answer that question. The moment is good and I’m living in the moment, which is very positive. We are trying to do well in the Nations League. But 2026? There’s a long story in between,” he said.