Ronaldo nears historic 1,000 career goals

Portugal and Al Nassr striker, Cristiano Ronaldo is on the verge of reaching 1,000 career goals, a milestone no footballer has ever achieved.

According to Sky Sports on Wednesday, following his recent brace against Hungary in the World Cup qualifiers, the Portuguese legend has now scored 948 goals across club and international competitions, 805 at club level and 143 for Portugal.

Ronaldo also became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup qualifying history, surpassing Carlos Ruiz, who held 39 goals. Lionel Messi sits third on the list with 36.

Now aged 40, Ronaldo continues to deliver performances both at the club level and internationally. Despite playing in Saudi Arabia, where critics argue the opposition is weaker, he has maintained elite scoring form, netting 104 goals in 117 appearances across four seasons with Al Nassr.

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So far in 2025, Ronaldo has registered 32 goals for club and country, since 2010, he has averaged over 50 goals per calendar year, with his best return coming in 2013, when he scored 69 goals and won the Ballon d’Or.

His annual goal tally has dipped below 39 goals only once in the last 15 years.

With Portugal on track to qualify for next summer’s World Cup, and two years remaining on his contract with Al Nassr, projections suggest Ronaldo could become the first player in football history to reach the 1,000-goal milestone by October 2026, if he maintains his current scoring rate.

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