Lisbon: Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 900th career goal for club and country, a feat which has never been done before. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner scored Portugal’s second goal during their 2-1 win over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League group fixture.
Following the tremendous achievement, Ronaldo stated that he does not break records but rather ‘they haunt him.’
“900 goals seems like any other milestone, but only I know how hard it is to work every day to score your 900th goal. It’s a unique milestone in my career. I don’t break records they haunt me!,” said Ronaldo in the post match interview.
Ronaldo’s goal proved to be the difference maker on the night and helped Portugal to get off to a winning start in their Nations League Group A campaign. It was his 131st goal for the 2016 Euro winners.
The Al-Nassr forward fall down to his knees after scoring from the edge of the six-yard box in celebration of his milestone and was emotional from the overwhelming moment of having the honour to do it in his home country.
Although it remains unsure when Ronaldo’s international career may come to an end with the Portuguese having recently admitted that it will be ‘spontaneous decision,’ the 39-year old went on to state he is not motivated to win trophies for the national team anymore.
“Portugal winning Euros is equivalent to winning a World Cup. I’ve already won two trophies for Portugal that I really wanted. I’m not motivated by that. I’m motivated by enjoying football and the records come naturally,” he added.
Across a career which has seen him dominate Europe for over two decades, Ronaldo has proven to be one of the most prolific goal scorers in footballing history. His stints at Sporting Lisbon (5 goals) Manchester United (145 goals), Real Madrid (450 goals) Juventus (101 goals), Al-Nassr ( 68 goals) have seen him register his name in countless record books.
After reaching this historic milestone Real Madrid, the club where the Portuguese striker earned the nickname ‘Mr Champions League’ took to social media to congratulate their all-time top goal scorer.
“Another historic milestone: 900 goals in the professional career of one of the greatest legends of Real Madrid and world football. Congratulations, dear and admired @Cristiano
! Real Madrid and the Madrid fans are always proud of you,” read the post by Real Madrid on X.
–IANS
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