PressSplit
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his 900th career goal. © DPA Deutsche Presseagentur
(sid). When Cristiano Ronaldo volleyed the ball into the net, his emotions burst out. The five-time world footballer sprinted to the corner flag, held his hands in front of his face, sank to the ground – and hardly seemed to believe it himself: his goal against Croatia was the 900th goal of his career.
“It means a lot to me because it was a unique milestone in my career,” said Ronaldo after the perfect start to the Nations League for himself and his Portuguese team against Croatia (2:1). The 39-year-old scored the interim 2:0 against the World Cup third-place team (34th minute). CR7 thus extended his world goal record to 131 in his 213th international match.
Ronaldo has moved into new spheres with his record. With Lionel Messi (838), there is only one player who has exceeded the 800 mark. The 900 mark is a number “that I have wanted to reach for a long time,” Ronaldo said with his usual self-confidence. But Ronaldo, who now plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, is far from satisfied. “I have already won two trophies with Portugal and any more would be spectacular. That motivates me,” he said. The 2026 World Cup has long been on the horizon, and his participation at the age of 41 is becoming more and more realistic. The project of participating in the World Cup is unlikely to fail because of coach Roberto Martinez. At the end of a eulogy for his striker, he said: “That is someone we need.”
