Ronaldo Nears Unprecedented 1,000-Goal Milestone at Age 40

Portugal and Al Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is closing in on a historic milestone that no male footballer has ever achieved — 1,000 career goals.

According to Sky Sports on Wednesday, Ronaldo’s recent brace against Hungary in the World Cup qualifiers has lifted his tally to an astonishing 948 career goals — 805 at club level and 143 for Portugal.

The 40-year-old also set another record by becoming the all-time top scorer in World Cup qualifying history, surpassing Carlos Ruiz (39 goals), with Lionel Messi sitting third on 36.

Despite his age, Ronaldo continues to deliver impressive performances both for club and country. In Saudi Arabia, he has found the net 104 times in 117 matches for Al Nassr over four seasons. So far in 2025, he has already scored 32 goals across all competitions.

Remarkably, Ronaldo has averaged over 50 goals per calendar year since 2010, with his peak coming in 2013 when he scored 69 goals and claimed the Ballon d’Or. Only once in the past 15 years has his annual goal count dropped below 39.

With Portugal on course to qualify for next summer’s World Cup and two years remaining on his Al Nassr contract, projections suggest Ronaldo could become the first player in football history to reach the 1,000-goal landmark by October 2026 — a feat that would cement his legendary status even further.