Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese
football legend, scored his 900th career goal in the Nations League match between Portugal and Croatia on Thursday.
Ronaldo's goal made it 2-0 for Portugral at the Estadio da Luz. In the 34th minute, he connected with a cross from Nuno Mendes, scoring a simple tap-in volley from close range.
Portugal eventually won the game 2-1.
As the ball hit the back of the net, Ronaldo fell to the ground, visibly emotional about reaching yet another significant milestone in his illustrious career.
With this goal, the 39-year-old superstar has now amassed an astonishing 131 goals in international football. Throughout his club career, Ronaldo has scored an impressive 450 goals for Real Madrid, 145 for Manchester United, 101 for Juventus and 68 for his current team, Al Nassr.
Additionally, he netted five goals for Sporting Lisbon, the club where he began his professional journey.
Argentina legend and World Cup winner Lionel Messi is second on the list of all-time top scorers, amassing an impressive tally of 859 goals in his illustrious career.
With this remarkable achievement, Ronaldo has become the first male footballer to surpass the 900-goal mark in official matches, considering his appearances for both club and country.
“It means a lot," AP quoted Ronaldo as saying after Portugal's win. “It was a milestone I wanted to reach for a long time. I knew I would reach this number, because as I continue to play, it would happen naturally.”
“It was emotional because it’s a milestone,” he said. “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.”
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