Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 900th goal against Croatia in the Nations League. This mark means a lot to the Portuguese.
Caption: Unlimited joy Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his 900th goal. Keystone/EPA/JOSE SENA GOULAO
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 unique career.
“It means a lot to me because it is a unique milestone in my career,” said Ronaldo after the perfect start to the Nations League for himself and his Portuguese with a 2-1 win against Croatia. The 39-year-old, who came away empty-handed at the EURO in Germany and was heavily criticized, scored the interim 2-0 (34th) in Group A1 against the World Cup third-place team. CR7 thus extended his world goal record to 131 in his 213th international match.
“CR900” writes “another piece of football history”
No wonder the international press heaped praise on Ronaldo on Friday. The Spanish Mark praised Portugal’s captain as a player “who continues to write golden pages in his infinite legacy”. The French The team saw «another piece of football history» and the Italian Sports Gazette Ronaldo was promptly renamed “CR900”. The British Daily Mail wrote of “breathtaking” numbers, while the Sun headlined “Ron and only” and “Ron-Derful”.
Ronaldo has indeed reached new heights with his record. With Lionel Messi (838), there is only one player who has surpassed the 800-goal mark. Even the great Pele, who is credited with well over 1,000 goals, cannot match either of them at this level.
Ronaldo is far from having enough
The 900 mark is a number “that I have wanted to achieve for a long time,” said Ronaldo. His records are the result of hard work. “Only I and the people around me know how hard it is to work every day, to be physically and mentally fit and to score 900 goals.”
The records will come by themselves, Ronaldo added. “I don’t break records. Records are what haunt me.” The superstar, who has been playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia since last season, is far from satisfied. “I have already won two trophies with Portugal and any more would be spectacular. That motivates me, I want to enjoy football – every moment,” said Ronaldo. He did just that against Croatia – and it was obvious to everyone.
