Cristiano Ronaldo reached a historic milestone with his 900th career goal during Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Croatia in the Nations League on Thursday.
At 39 years old, Ronaldo became the first player to score 900 official goals for both club and country.
He achieved this landmark with a goal in the 34th minute at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon, celebrating by dropping to his knees.
“It means a lot,” Ronaldo said. “Reaching this milestone was something I aimed for a long time. I always knew it would happen as I continued playing.”
He described the achievement as emotional and unique, reflecting on the hard work required to maintain physical and psychological fitness for such a record.
This goal marked Ronaldo’s 131st international goal.
Despite a disappointing European Championship performance earlier this year, Ronaldo remains focused on enjoying football rather than pursuing additional trophies.
“Winning the Euros with Portugal is equivalent to winning a World Cup,” Ronaldo noted.
“I’ve already won two trophies with Portugal that I deeply wanted. I’m not driven by more accolades; I’m driven by the joy of the game and records that come naturally.”
Ronaldo’s career rival, Lionel Messi, secured a World Cup with Argentina in 2022.
