Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7) is the first men’s soccer player to record 900 career goals. He currently plays for the Portuguese national team and the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.
It’s up for debate if Cristiano Ronaldo is the GOAT of professional soccer, but one thing is certain: He’s the most prolific scorer in the sport’s history.
The 39-year-old scored in the 34th minute of Portugal’s UEFA Nations League Victory over Croatia on September 5, becoming the first men’s player to reach 900 career goals. “It was emotional because it’s a milestone,” Ronaldo said, according to the Associated Press. “It seems like any other milestone, but only I know, and the people around me, how hard it is to work every day, to be physically and psychologically fit, to score 900 goals. It’s a unique milestone in my career.”
Ronaldo moved 58 goals ahead of Argentinian star , who’s in second place with 842 career goals. Late Brazilian legend Pelé is third all-time with 765. CR7 has previously said he hopes to reach 1,000 goals before ending his illustrious career.
Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest athletes in the WW88 sport’s history, winning the Ballon d’Or five times and becoming the first player to score 900 career goals. Considered a phenom as a teenager, 16-year-old Ronaldo signed with Manchester United in a record deal for a player of his age. He set a franchise record for goals scored in 2008, before transferring to Real Madrid the following year. He has since played for Italian Serie A club Juventus and is currently on the Al-Nassr FC squad in Saudi Arabia. Among his many accomplishments, Ronaldo led his home country to an emotional victory in the 2016 European Championship.
In 2009, the Spanish soccer club Real Madrid agreed to pay Manchester United a record $131 million for the chance to sign Ronaldo. Ronaldo’s commitment to Manchester United had come under constant question, and speculation swirled that he wanted to play elsewhere, so nobody was all that surprised to see Ronaldo leave.
“I know that they are going to demand a lot of me to be successful at the club, and I know that I’m going to have much more pressure than at Manchester United because I was there for many years,” CR7 told reporters. “But it means a new challenge and is going to help me be the best footballer.”