Home » Sport » HOW MANY GOALS HAS CRISTIANO SCORED | Cristiano Ronaldo aims for 1000 goals: “I don’t break records, they chase me!”

HOW MANY GOALS HAS CRISTIANO SCORED | Cristiano Ronaldo aims for 1000 goals: “I don’t break records, they chase me!”

As if it were his first. This is how Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated the 900th official goal of his career. The Portuguese threw himself to the ground and began to cry after a clean shot that recalled his best times and that gave him Portugal’s victory over Croatia (2-1) in the Nations League“I don’t break records, they chase me!” says the greatest scorer of all time, elated after reaching a round number that no one has ever achieved with proven records. At 39 years old, and in the twilight of his career, will he have time to reach the thousand mark? “I think I can do it, as long as I don’t get injured”the Saudi Arabian Al-Nassr player hopes to achieve.

Ronaldo, the top scorer in history

Football is experiencing a change of era. For the first time since 2004, neither Leo Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo are among the nominees for the Ballon d’Or. But the two stars who rivalled at the top of the world for years still have goals. In the case of the Argentine, most of them have been fulfilled, after a majestic last period with Argentina that culminated in winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. For Cristiano Ronaldo, the collective ones are also fulfilled, both at club level and with his national team, as he recognised after his 900th goal with a statement that fuels a debate that Kylian Mbappé also fuelled in his day.

Winning a European Championship with Portugal is like winning a World Cup. I have already won two trophies with Portugal (the 2019 Nations) that I really wanted. I am not motivated by that. I am motivated by enjoying football and records come by themselves,” explained the striker. His figures are, for now, unattainable. Second on the list is Messi, with 838 goals. The third active player who has scored the most goals is Lewandowski, who has 655 as a professional. Cristiano comes from being the top scorer in a season in the Saudi Arabian league, With 35 points, that’s why he says “I don’t chase records, they chase me”.

Personal records keep alive the competitive spirit of a player who has bathed in gold in the Middle East, but has sometimes been frustrated by the lack of successes like Al-Nassr. Since he signed for the team in December 2022, he has only won a minor tournament such as the Arab Champions Cup, which is not even official for FIFA. Everything else has been defeats against Neymar’s Al-Hilal, the great dominator of Saudi football. That is why Cristiano has found in individual goals a reason to continue playing and developing his limits.

Pelé and Friedenreich’s 1000 unofficial goals

However, to reach 1000 goals he would need to be at least at the level of the previous season for three seasons. Despite the criticism, Roberto Martínez has kept the Portuguese as a starter in his national teamincluding at the Euros. This will give him opportunities to expand his international tally beyond what he can do in Saudi Arabia or the Asian Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s challenge is to be able to compete in the World Cup 2026 which is celebrated in the USA, Canada and Mexico. He would arrive at 41 years of age and would be, together with Messi – if he decides to continue – the first in history to play in six World Cups, leaving the Mexicans behind. Rafa Marquez, Andres Guardado and Antonio Carbajal, as well as Lothar Matthäus. Although with the Madeira native anything is possible. “When I leave the national team I won’t tell anyone in advance and it will be a very spontaneous decision on my part, but also a very well thought out one,” he warned after the Euros.

Cristiano Ronaldo honoured by UEFA in the Champions League draw. / GREGORIO BORGIA / AP

With current performance logic, it would be precisely in 2026 when Cristiano Ronaldo would surpass the thousand-goal mark, a magical figure that football has always fantasized about. Officially, no player can prove to have reached such a milestone. Pelé is listed in the Guinness Book of Records with 1,279, a publication that puts him ahead of his compatriot Arthur Friedenreich, with 1,329 tantossupposedly scored between 1909 and 1935. These data are not useful, because, for example, in the case of ‘O Rei’, his goals were counted in youth and friendly matches that are not recognised by FIFA.

Congratulations from Real Madrid to “our admired Cristiano”

In this comparison, Cristiano Ronaldo has been very clear when asked: “There is a difference: all my goals have video. So I can prove that I reached a thousand. I respect everyone, but my goals are certified.“. As a curiosity, some records consider his goal against Croatia to be the 901st, because they take into account the goal that FIFA awarded to Joao Cancelo on March 23, 2023 against Liechtenstein, despite the fact that the forward was the last to touch the ball.

Cristiano Ronaldo has never stopped to claim the authorship of this goal and his efforts are aimed at beating a historic record. To do so, he has taken on the role of supervising the signings of Al-Nassr, who sent a message of congratulations for the unprecedented mark. Former teams such as Sporting de Portugal also did so, who recalled that “it all started here” and, of course, Real Madrid: “Another historic milestone: 900 goals in the professional career of one of the greatest legends of Real Madrid and world football. Congratulations, dear and admired Cristiano! Real Madrid and the Madrid fans are always proud of you.” Cariño will not be lacking in the complex, but not impossible, mission of breaking the thousand-goal barrier.

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