Even though both soccer stars are winding down their careers, they continue to battle each other in terms of individual statistics. At age 38, Lionel Messi is still playing and putting in top-notch performances in the U.S., while Cristiano Ronaldo is two years older than Messi and continues to put the ball in the net at an incredible pace in Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo added a couple more to his total just last weekend in Al-Nassr’s game against Al-Akhdoud.
Only a few dozen players in the history of professional soccer have achieved the record-breaking feat of reaching 1,000 career goals. By the end of the season, Ronaldo will become one of them. He currently stands 44 goals shy of the mark.
Everyone On Al-Nassr Is Playing For Ronaldo
The reason behind Al-Nassr’s desire to capture its first league title in six consecutive seasons is clear. Ronaldo hasn’t won anything significant at the club level since he helped Juventus take home the Scudetto in 2020.
In order to assist in this quest for a championship, Al-Nassr has made some big spending this off-season in the form of multiple transfers totaling over $100 million. These include the transfer of Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich, João Félix from Chelsea, and Mohamed Simakan from RB Leipzig for a reported $50 million. Also, Al-Nassr signed former Barcelona defensive leader Iñigo Martínez to a free agent contract.
On Saturday, Al-Nassr crushed season underdogs Al-Akhdoud by a score of 3-0. Under the coaching of Jorge Jesus of Portugal, Al-Nassr has taken all three points from every of the last nine league games. Once again, Ronaldo was the catalyst for the victory. He scored the opening goal of the match in the 30th minute off of a pass from the far post. Just before halftime, ex-Inter star Marcelo Brozović set him up for an easy empty-net finish.
Of late, most of Ronaldo’s goals have come as such — he gets open in the box and finishes first time after receiving a pass from his teammates.
40th Goal of 2025 and 956th Overall
That goal was Ronaldo’s 40th of 2025 and the 956th of his overall career. Ronaldo appears to be planning on continuing to play until he reaches the magic number of 1,000 goals. When questioned by the media regarding the possibility of retirement, Ronaldo has generally avoided discussing it. “Let’s enjoy the moment, the present. I’m not chasing 1,000 goals. If it happens — great, if not — that’s fine too. The present moment is the most special thing,” he stated in April.
Cristiano Ronaldo – goal.com
Ronaldo’s Career Goals By Club And National Team
(Started playing professionally in 2002)
- Real Madrid — 450
- Manchester United — 145
- Portuguese national team — 143
- Al-Nassr — 112
- Juventus — 101
- Sporting CP — 5
Ronaldo has the opportunity to add to his totals before the end of the year with a December 30 match against Al-Ittifaq. In January, Al-Nassr has a jammed-packed schedule with seven league games.
Projected Time Frame For 1,000th Goal — Early 2027
Ronaldo’s incredible work ethic and dedication to training and maintaining a high-level of fitness continue to allow him to perform at a high level even at 40 years old. While he no longer possesses the explosiveness or ability to shoot from distance that he had during the majority of his prime, he still brings a wealth of experience and football intelligence to the table.
To those who say the Saudi Pro League is inferior, Ronaldo responds with his goals for Portugal: 6 in 2025, which includes goals against Germany, Spain, and Denmark. Many consider him to be a distraction to the Portuguese national team, but last year he was a vital component of Portugal’s Nations League championship.
Assuming Ronaldo continues to score at the same rate, we can project that he will reach the 1,000-goal plateau sometime in early 2027. With 1 ½ years remaining on his contract with Al-Nassr, there is little doubt that Ronaldo has no plans to retire anytime soon.
