Year-ender: Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first man with 900 career goals
The year 2024 saw football legend Cristiano Ronaldo adding another feather to his cap. He became the first man to complete 900 career goals in football. Ronaldo attained this feat by scoring for Portugal in their 2-1 win over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League. He made it 2-0 in the 34th minute to reach 900 career goals. Here are his incredible stats.
Most goals in football history
As mentioned, Ronaldo became the first man to complete 900 career goals. According to International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), Ronaldo tops the goal-scoring chart with 916 of them. His counterpart Lionel Messi follows him with 850 goals. Interestingly, no other player has more than 800 goals in international football.
Will Ronaldo reach 1,000 goals?
Earlier this year, Ronaldo, 39, stated that he is already eyeing the 1,000-goal milestone. "I want to reach 1,000 goals," he told his former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand for his YouTube channel.
Most goals in international football
Ronaldo is one of only three men with over 100 goals in international football. He owns 135 goals from 217 internationals. The Portugal star made his international debut in August 2003. Notably, Messi (112) and Ali Daei (108) are the only other players with over 100 such goals. Only one other footballer has more than 80 goals in this regard.
Breakdown of Ronaldo's overall goals
Ronaldo currently has a total of 781 goals from 1,040 appearances in club football. This includes 135 goals for Manchester United, a record 450 goals for Real Madrid, 101 goals for Juventus, and 80 goals for Al Nassr. Ronaldo is also the highest goal-scorer in UEFA Champions League history. He leads the tally with a staggering 140 goals.
Hat-tricks of Ronaldo
Ronaldo holds the record for scoring the most hat-tricks in football among active players (66). In 2021, Ronaldo became the first man to record 10 hat-tricks for a national team (Portugal). He broke the record of Sven Rydell.
