Cristiano Ronaldo reaches 900 career goals: Can anyone else follow?
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On September 7th, 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo once again cemented his status as one of the greatest footballers of all time by scoring his 900th career goal in Portugal's Europe Nations League clash against Croatia.
Diogo Dalot opened the scoring for Portugal in the 7th minute before Cristiano Ronaldo etched his name in the history books with a goal in the 34th minute. Though Croatia pulled one back through an own goal from Dalot, the 2016 European Champions held on to a slim 2-1 victory.
Following the latest milestone, the football world has been abuzz with praise and admiration for Portugal's greatest player, as ex-footballers, pundits, coaches, and fans won't stop raving about him.
Troy Deeney of TalkSport called him a “generational talent,” while other pundits across different media outlets are equally effusive in their praise of his remarkable goal-scoring prowess.
While the media houses wax lyrical about the Portuguese legend, the one question on everyone's lips is: which current stars have the potential to reach this extraordinary landmark? Is it possible to envision another player reaching, or even surpassing, this landmark milestone?
Here, we provide five highly-rated players who have the potential to challenge this record and also analyse the factors that contributed to Ronaldo's success.
What does it take to reach 900 goals?
We've seen many proven goalscorers, but none have attained such a great feat, which means this record entails much more than shooting ability. So, what does it take Ronaldo to reach 900 goals?
Longevity
Cristiano Ronaldo started his football career at 17 and has been in top physical condition for over two decades, thanks to his discipline and strict routine.
The 39-year-old striker never jokes about training and his diet. He carefully chooses his diet, does extra training, and spends lots of time in the gym, improving his physical fitness.
Former United Star, Evra, once disclosed what Ronaldo's diet looks like, saying:
“At the table, there was only salad and plain white chicken, and water, not any juice.”
Goal-scoring ability
Ronaldo is an example of a complete and lethal striker who can score from anywhere and with any part of his body.
His positioning, timing, and ability to read the game also make him a constant threat in and out of the 18-yard box.
He is adept with both feet and has impressive aerial strength. Aside from Sporting Lisbon and Al-Nassr, the 39-year-old has more than 100 goals in each of the clubs he played, which shows his ruthlessness in front of goal.
Injury resilience
Though no player is entirely injury-free, Ronaldo has managed to avoid career-threatening or long-term injuries.
Interestingly, according to numbers published by Transfermarkt, he has missed only eight games due to injuries and fitness issues since the 2021/22 season. In comparison, Messi has missed 48 games in the same period.
Adaptability
Ronaldo's top adaptability contributed immensely to his success, as he always finds a way to perform wherever he goes. From Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, the Portuguese legend didn't take much time before announcing his presence to the fans.
Apart from settling well in any environment, Ronaldo showed his top adaptability when he converted from a winger into a centre forward to maintain his high-level performances for club and country.
Top clubs
Playing for top clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus ultimately helped him achieve the milestone because they guaranteed world-class players and many goal-scoring chances.
Ryan Giggs and Rooney gave him the final ball at United, while Benzema, Ozil, and Di Maria did the same at Real Madrid.
In the same vein, playing for top clubs allowed him to appear in different competitions like the Champions League, Europa League, Premier League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, etc. More matches translated to more goals for the prolific striker.
5 stars who could also reach Ronaldo’s 900-goal milestone
After in-depth scrutiny of their goalscoring record, injury history, age, and current team, below are five stars who have the potential to reach this extraordinary landmark:
1. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi, who comes first on our list, is deservedly regarded as the greatest left-footed player of all time due to his achievements with Barcelona and Argentina.
Ronaldo's eternal rival currently has 838 career goals, and he sits comfortably in the second spot in the all-time top scorers list ahead of Josef Bican, who has 805 official goals.
So far, he has 672 goals for Barcelona, 32 for Paris Saint-Germain, 109 goals for Argentina, and 25 for Inter Miami, where he currently plies his trade.
Though the 37-year-old playmaker and striker is in the twilight of his career, he could still join the 900-goal club as he has been scoring regularly for the MLS side lately. He found the back of the net in consecutive matches against Atlanta and St. Louis City.
Considering the age-long rivalry between both players, Messi’s fans would love to see their favourite equal this record before hanging his boot.
2. Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland is one of the youngsters with the brightest hopes of equalling or surpassing the 900-goal landmark considering his impressive 1.01 goal-per-game ratio in the Premier League (at the time of this writing).
The 24-year-old Norwegian plundered seven goals in the first three League matches of the new season, ranking as one of the deadliest strikers in the world right now.
Haaland is a consistent goalscorer who guarantees double figures per season. As of the time of this writing, the former Borussia Dortmund star has 264 career goals in just 285 appearances.
Like Ronaldo, Haaland plays for a big club and is surrounded by world-class players who will create clear-cut chances and boost his chances of reaching the milestone. De Bruyne, Gundogan, and Silva have no other job description than to pass the ball to their talisman.
However, Haaland's injury record isn't encouraging and might affect his chances. The Norwegian striker has missed 40 games due to injury since the 2021-22 season.
Nonetheless, should he maintain his beastly form in front of goal, the young striker might follow his idol's path and set a new all-time goal record.
3. Kylian Mbappé
Having been one of the globe's most prolific players since his teenage years, Kylian Mbappé needs no introduction.
He broke into the limelight in the 2015-2016 season when he became Monaco's youngest-ever first-team player and went on to score 27 goals in 60 games for the club before joining Paris St Germain in 2017.
In his debut campaign at the Parc des Princes Stadium, he found the back of the net on 21 occasions and was handed his debut call-up to the French national team.
Unlike Haaland, Mbappé rarely picks up long-term injuries, having spent only 27 days in the recuperating room since the 21/22 season. The Real Madrid summer signing currently has 334 career goals and remains the perfect heir to Ronaldo's throne.
4. Harry Kane
The England national team captain is another man who deserves a spot on the list following his exploits in the Premier League and consistency for the national team.
Kane, who started his football career at Ridgeway Rovers, has been an influential figure for the Three Lions in the past nine years, scoring 68 goals for the national team in the process.
His four goals helped England reach the Euro 2020 final match, which they lost to Italy on penalties. During his time with Tottenham, the 31-year-old always contested for the Premier League's top scorers award against the likes of Aubameyang, Mohamed Salah, Vardy, and Haaland.
However, despite the intense competition from other world-class strikers, Kane won the coveted Golden Boot Award three times before leaving the North London club in 2023.
Moving to Bayern Munich, Kane has taken his goal-scoring ability to a whole new level after scoring 44 goals in his debut season.
Though he couldn't help the Bavarians retain the Bundesliga title, the ever-reliable striker showed his class, scooped the top scorer’s award, and broke the Bundesliga’s goalscoring record by becoming the player with the most goals in his debut season.
While Kane presently has 410 career goals, reaching the 900-goal mark isn't completely out of his reach as he doesn't have a damaging injury record and will be active for some more seasons.
So with the guarantee that he will feature in many matches and replicate his goal-scoring prowess, Harry Kane is very finely poised to reach the milestone before leaving the scene.
5. Endrick
The Brazilian youngster might be a surprise inclusion to many people who haven't followed his progress for some time. He has enjoyed a tremendous rise to stardom, moving from the Palmeiras youth team to Real Madrid within two years.
During his time with the Palmeiras youth teams, the teenager reportedly scored 165 goals in 169 matches, confirming his status as one of the best forwards in the world.
Interestingly, Endrick has a bright chance of reaching the milestone as he is a striker with great potential, is relatively young, currently plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world, and will feature in many competitions.
Described as a “very special talent” by Gary Lineker, the 18-year-old currently has 22 career goals from 85 games and might smash Ronaldo's all-time goal-scoring record if he continues his impressive form for the Galacticos.
Conclusion: Can anyone match Ronaldo’s 900-goal record?
Of all the five players who could break Ronaldo's record, Messi has the brightest chance, as he is just 55 goals away, although he is running out of time.
Haaland has all it takes to reach the 900-goal mark, but injury might scupper his chances.
Endrick is a young striker surrounded by world-class playmakers but currently faces huge competition for a place in Real Madrid's starting lineup.While Harry Kane can't be overlooked considering his impressive record in the 2023–24 season, however age isn't on his side.