Soccer

Cristiano Ronaldo is close to surpassing Lionel Messi's milestone

After another hat-trick for Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo could get another accolade in his sporting rivalry with Lionel Messi.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
© asser Bakhsh/Rich Storry/Getty ImagesCristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo is having a spectacular season with Al Nassr. At the moment, the Portuguese legend is the top scorer in Saudi Arabia with 29 goals and has scored a hat-trick in consecutive matches. Just impressive.

Although his club has disappointed collectively in the AFC Champions League and the Saudi Pro League, CR7’s individual performance at 39 years old has amazed fans and experts worldwide. At his age, this is something never before seen.

Even with rising young soccer stars like Kylian Mbappe or Jude Bellingham, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be compared to another veteran, Lionel Messi, who also shines with Inter Miami in the MLS.

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Now, following Cristiano’s performance against Abha, a statistic from this sporting rivalry has caught a lot of attention. Who has scored more free-kick goals?

Lionel Messi is ‘chased’ by CR7 in a very interesting stat (Getty Images)

Lionel Messi is ‘chased’ by CR7 in a very interesting stat (Getty Images)

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How many free-kick goals have scored Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi?

After converting two free-kicks against Abha, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 63 goals through this route throughout his career. Now, the star of Al Nassr has come very close to the number reached so far by Lionel Messi (65).

The list of free-kick goals in soccer history is led by Juninho Pernambucano (77), Pele (70), Victor Legrotaglie (66) and Ronaldinho (66). By the way, David Beckham, the man who brought Messi to Miami, also has 65.

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Video: Ronaldo\'s 2nd straight hat-trick helps Al-Nassr thrash Abha 8-0

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How many goals has Cristiano Ronaldo scored in his career?

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 885 goals in his professional career, and it seems inevitable that, in the coming weeks, he will reach 900 considering the matches remaining in the Saudi Pro League and his participation in the UEFA Euro 2024 with Portugal.

Of course, the great challenge will be to reach 1000 goals, which would be sensational. However, many factors have to come together for him to achieve it, especially the fact of avoiding injuries at his age.

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