Cristiano Ronaldo proves he is the GOAT, beats Messi to 900 goals milestone

Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo has once again etched his name in football history, scoring his 900th career goal in his country’s Nations League match against Croatia.

In front of home fans at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Ronaldo’s historic 900th goal came in the 34th minute to give Portugal a 2-0 lead against Croatia.

After a Nuno Mendes cross, the Portuguese captain found the back of the net from inside the box with an emphatic finish, sparking wild celebrations.

Ronaldo’s 900th goal came after 1,236 matches, as the 38-year-old extended his own record as the men’s player with the most international goals in football history, taking his tally to 131 in 213 matches for Portugal.

Ronaldo’s milestone comes after he had hinted at the possibility of reaching 1,000 goals before retiring. Speaking in a recent interview with former teammate Rio Ferdinand after scoring his 899th goal via a stunning free-kick for Al Nassr, Ronaldo expressed excitement about his 900th goal and suggested that his hunger for more remains strong.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo’s long-time rival in the GOAT debate, has not done badly for himself but still falls behind the former Real Madrid star, having scored 843 goals in 1,069 official games.

Ronaldo and his well-wishers will surely point to the lead in the goal race as reinforcing his legendary status as one of, if not the greatest footballer of all time.