- Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 980th career goal for Al-Nassr in a 3-0 Saudi Pro League win over Al-Diriyah on Friday, October 9
- The Portuguese forward now stands 46 goals ahead of Lionel Messi, who has netted 934 times across his own career
- Ronaldo needs just 20 more goals to reach a milestone no player in football history has ever achieved
Cristiano Ronaldo is now 20 goals away from becoming the first footballer in history to score 1,000 career goals, after adding another strike to his tally during Al-Nassr's 3-0 Saudi Pro League win over Al-Diriyah on Friday, October 9.
The 41-year-old opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, reacting quickest to a rebound after Kingsley Coman's effort was saved, to push his career total to 980 goals from 1,339 appearances.
Source: Getty Images
The figures, updated on October 11 by Messi vs Ronaldo, a dedicated statistical comparison website, confirm Ronaldo's place as the most prolific scorer in the recorded history of the men's game.
Ronaldo closes in on the 1,000-goal mark
Ronaldo's journey to this point has spanned two decades at the top of European football, including spells at Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, before his move to Saudi Arabia.
The Portuguse forward also holds the record as the leading scorer in men's international football, with 146 goals for Portugal, according to Transfermarkt.
Having won the Ballon d'Or five times, Ronaldo continues to find the net regularly in the Saudi Pro League, keeping alive a career that has defied the typical arc of even the greatest players.
Where Messi stands in the all-time race
With 934 goals to his name, Lionel Messi trails Ronaldo by 46 strikes, though the numbers carry important context.
The Argentine has reached his total in 1,178 appearances, meaning he has played 161 fewer matches than Ronaldo to accumulate a comparable figure.
Messi's goals break down across four clubs: 672 for Barcelona, 32 for Paris Saint-Germain, 104 for Inter Miami, and 126 in international football with Argentina.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is currently building on his record at Inter Miami in North America.
The gap between the two players is not simply about who has scored more.
Messi's higher goals-per-game ratio across fewer appearances reflects a different kind of consistency, and it is this distinction that has kept the debate about which player is the greatest of their generation going for years.
Both men have operated at a level of output that no other footballer has come close to sustaining across such long careers.
Ronaldo snubs Messi, declares himself GOAT
Legit.ng previously reported about Ronaldo’s claim that his goal-scoring record makes him the greatest footballer in history, as he closes in on 1,000 career goals.
His bold statement has reignited the debate over Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Pelé and Diego Maradona.
Source: Legit.ng