By Akazue Favour
Ronaldo Nears Historic 1,000-Goal Milestone
- Portugal and Al Nassr forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, is closing in on one of football’s most remarkable records — becoming the first male player in history to reach 1,000 career goals.
According to a report by Sky Sports on Wednesday, Ronaldo’s brace against Hungary in the World Cup qualifiers lifted his career total to 948 goals. Out of these, 805 were scored for his clubs and 143 for Portugal.
The 40-year-old also extended his dominance in World Cup qualifying by overtaking Carlos Ruiz to become the all-time leading scorer in the competition’s history, while Lionel Messi trails in third place.
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Despite his age, Ronaldo continues to deliver impressive performances both in Saudi Arabia’s Pro League and for his national team. Since joining Al Nassr, he has recorded 104 goals in 117 matches across four seasons.
In 2025 alone, Ronaldo has already netted 32 goals for club and country, maintaining his consistency in front of goal. Since 2010, he has averaged more than 50 goals per calendar year, with his most prolific year being 2013, when he scored 69 goals and claimed the Ballon d’Or.
Except for one year, his tally has never fallen below 39 goals annually in the last 15 years — a feat unmatched in modern football.
With Portugal likely to secure qualification for next year’s World Cup and two years left on his Al Nassr contract, projections suggest that Ronaldo could reach the historic 1,000-goal mark by October 2026 if he maintains his current scoring pace.
