Cristiano Ronaldo. The man, the myth, the legend. A man who has inspired generations of young soccer players, a man who has graced the game of soccer for over a decade, and a man who has a name recognized and heard around the world. A legend of the sport, 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo has turned a new page in history once more by becoming the first male soccer player in history to ever score 900 career goals. With his record-breaking goal being for his nation Portugal in a match against Croatia, Ronaldo –– nicknamed CR7 –– led his nation to a victory in the UEFA Nations League.
During his international match, Ronaldo first scored an intricate goal with a volley in the penalty area after a well-delivered cross by Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes. With a light yet clinical touch, Ronaldo gave Portugal a 2-0 lead in the first half, leading to a win at the end of the match. It almost seems like a fulfilled prophecy, given that Ronaldo scored in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, where he began his career and before he rose up to the world-renowned player he is today.
His impressive records aren’t simply an epitome of his greatness; they’re a model of how one can rise from the bottom to the top. From just a young teenage boy playing at club Sporting Lisbon in the early 2000s to becoming one of the best players at the renowned clubs of Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, Ronaldo has scored goals all around the world and represented his club and nation at the world’s biggest stages—in the World Cup and Champions League. Evidently, Ronaldo’s long list of trophies further decorate his illustrious career. Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Ors, the most prestigious individual award in football as it honors the player who performed the best at both club and international levels that year. He has the second most Ballon d’Ors—behind Lionel Messi, who has won eight over his career.
Aside from individual trophies, Ronaldo has led every team he’s played for to victory on the most prestigious stage. At his time at Manchester United, arguably where he earned most of his fame as a professional, he won the Premier League three years in a row (2007-2009), also winning his first UEFA Champions League in the 2007/08 season. With his astounding goals, playmaking, and trophies during that season, Ronaldo was awarded his first Ballon d’Or at the age of 23. Before the 2009/10 season began, Ronaldo bid farewell to Manchester United and moved to Spain, where he would spend the next decade at Real Madrid F.C.
Ronaldo’s career at Real Madrid was filled with unprecedented success. At Real Madrid, Ronaldo shattered records and solidified his place as one of the GOATs of the game, establishing the legendary rivalry between him and Lionel Messi. During his tenure, Ronaldo won four more Champions League titles (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018) and won four additional Ballon d’Ors to add to his list of accomplishments. During this time, Ronaldo also led Portugal to winning the 2016 EUROs, the most prestigious European competition amongst nations. At Real Madrid, Ronaldo won a total of 16 trophies before his emotional departure to Juventus F.C. in 2018.
While his time at Italy was shorter, Ronaldo brought Juventus F.C. to victory on multiple occasions where he was needed. He tallied a total of 101 goals over the course at Juventus, and was the Serie A –– the Italian’s first division league –– champion for two consecutive years: 2018/19 and 2019/2020. At this point, fans began to feel that Ronaldo’s glory days were gradually coming to an end as Ronaldo reached his 30s. While Ronaldo marked the headlines when he returned to his boyhood club Manchester United in 2021, things soon fell out with the manager Erik Ten Hag, forcing Ronaldo to terminate his contract and move to Al Nassr, a club in the Saudi Pro League in December 2022. Ronaldo still plays for the Saudi Arabian club, and has continued to bag goals, scoring 68 goals so far for the club.
Although many football fans have sadly deemed the “golden era” of football to come to an end, the spark of Ronaldo’s talents continue to reflect itself at the world’s biggest stage even as Ronaldo is only one year away from reaching his 40s. Whether you are a lover or hater of Ronaldo, his goalscoring records and talents cannot go without appreciation. Ronaldo himself acknowledged his elation upon reaching 900 goals, stating that “it means a lot,” and that “it was a milestone I wanted to reach for a long time.” Upon scoring, Ronaldo raised his hands to his face and instantly fell to his knees in jubilation.
Ronaldo himself has said that he wants to challenge to reach 1,000 career goals in the future: “I want to reach 1,000 goals. If I don’t have any injuries, this for me is the most important [thing], I want that.” We cannot answer whether that will be possible for sure, but we can confirm one thing: the story of the legend, Ronaldo, continues to live on.
