Cristiano Ronaldo scores 900th career goal: The numbers behind Portugal striker’s milestone

Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo reached yet another footballing milestone on 5 September as he scored the 900th goal of one of the most remarkable careers in sport.

The 39-year-old scored the eventual winner in Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Croatia, arriving in the box to turn in Nuno Mendes’s cross in a fashion fans have become accustomed to seeing since the striker’s time in Madrid.

The goal prompted an emotional response from Ronaldo, who fell to the floor in tears during his celebration. Last month, the Portugal man had told former teammate Rio Ferdinand that his career aim was to get to 1,000 goals.

And the former Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus striker is now just 100 goals away from that target, with 131 goals for his country and 769 at club level over the course of 1,236 games.

But what are the other numbers behind this remarkable goalscoring record, and how close is he to being the highest scorer in the sport’s history?

A career marked by impressive longevity

Ronaldo’s first goal came in 2002, when the 17-year-old struck twice in a 3-0 Sporting win. He only scored five goals in total for the Lisbon-based club, with his final goal coming in December 2002 before he moved to Manchester United for the 2003/04 season.

Ronaldo’s start at United showed plenty of promise alongside a dose of frustration, as the tricky winger was maybe guilty of one skill too many on occasion, and he had to wait until 1 November 2003 for his first goal for the club, against Portsmouth in a 3-0 win. The streak of 27 games without scoring – between December 2002 and November 2003 – is to date the longest such streak of his career.

The winger more than delivered on his promise during his time at United, scoring 118 goals across 293 matches in his first stint at the club. Highlights included remarkable efforts against Fulham in 2006/07, Portsmouth in 2007/08, Porto and Arsenal in 2008/09 and a towering header in the 2008 Champions League final – he is now the top scorer in tournament history, with 140 goals.

In the summer of 2009, Ronaldo joined Real Madrid for a then world record of about £80m, and thus began the most prolific goalscoring period of his career.

The Portuguese averaged more than a goal per game for Los Blancos, scoring 450 goals in 438 games as he won two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey trophies and four Champions Leagues. His highest-scoring season came in 2011/12, when he scored 69 goals in 69 matches for club and country.

In 2018, Ronaldo moved to Juventus, where he scored 101 goals over three seasons before re-joining United in 2021. His second spell with the club was less fruitful, and he scored 27 goals in 54 games before moving to Al -Nassr – he’s currently on 68 goals for the Saudi club.

How does Ronaldo score his goals?

The 39-year-old’s goal catalogue is impressive not just due to the tally and frequency, but due to the types of goal he’s capable of scoring. From three-yard tap-ins with his thigh to 45-yard screamers and dazzling, dipping free-kicks, the Portuguese really was capable of doing it all.

Unsurprisingly, 574 of his goals have come with his favoured right foot, with 173 coming with his left, one from his thigh and one even from his elbow. In addition, he has scored 151 headers, according to The Athletic.

Ronaldo has scored 164 penalties and 63 free-kicks, with those set pieces counting for 63 of his 131 goals from outside of the box. He has scored a further 605 goals from inside the penalty area.

During his time at Real Madrid, the Portuguese was hailed for scoring a range of important goals, and his stats back up that sentiment – he has scored 211 goals between the 76th minute and the final whistle. In addition, he has scored 23 goals in tournament finals.

Ronaldo has scored 66 hat-tricks over the course of his career – 10 of these have been so-called ‘perfect’ hat-tricks, with one goal scored with a header, one with the left foot and one with the right foot. He has scored four goals in one game on nine occasions, and five goals in the same match twice.

He has scored 437 goals over the course of his thirties, and scored 440 in his twenties!

Is Ronaldo the game’s all-time top scorer?

It is difficult to establish for certain whether Ronaldo is the game’s top scorer, with Pele and Romario both having claimed to score over 1,000 goals.

However, if you were to filter out the friendly matches and other unofficial games that the Brazilian duo played, their tallies are estimated at 778 and 775 goals respectively, reports the BBC.

Other players who could hold the record include German Erwin Helmchen, who claimed to have scored 989 goals, and Josef Bican, who is said to have scored around 950. Again, many of these came in regional leagues and unofficial tournaments, so there is debate around whether they should be recorded.

What’s certain is that Ronaldo became the first player to reach 800 top-level goals when he scored a second goal against Arsenal in a 3-2 win in December 2021. His long-time rival, Lionel Messi, currently sits on 867 career goals.

Can he score 1,000?

Ronaldo turns 40 in February, and given his current scoring rate at Al-Nassr, he could be on track to reach 1,000 goals if he plays until he’s at least 41.

He scored 57 goals for club and country in 2023/24, with 50 coming for Al-Nassr, so at the current rate he could reach 1,000 goals by the end of the 2025/26 season.