Portuguese star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who was not shortlisted for the Ballon d’Or, became emotional after scoring a career goal in a match against Croatia on Thursday. Ronaldo scored his 900th career goal, leading his team to a 2-1 victory over Croatia in their first UEFA Nations League match. Just a few days earlier, Ronaldo had scored a brilliant free-kick for his club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, coming close to this milestone. On Thursday night, the 39-year-old celebrated achieving this milestone with as much joy as if he had scored his very first career goal.

Playing club football in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo made history in professional football by scoring in the 34th minute of the match at Estádio da Luz, thanks to a cross from Nuno Mendes. This goal was his 131st for Portugal. Celebrating the goal, Ronaldo appeared emotional. Out of his 900 career goals, half have been scored for Real Madrid. The rest have come from international matches as well as for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Juventus, and his current club Al Nassr.

Ronaldo also shared his milestone on social media, where his post suggested that he has no plans of retiring soon. He wrote, “I dreamed of this, and I have many more dreams. Thank you all!” Ronaldo is considered one of the greatest footballers in the world. The debate over who is the best footballer of the current era often revolves around him and Argentina’s Lionel Messi. While Messi’s victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup has somewhat settled this debate, Ronaldo’s club career remains exceptional. Ronaldo is already the all-time leading goal scorer in both professional and international football. Messi, who follows Ronaldo, has scored 838 goals in his professional career. This ongoing comparison highlights the incredible achievements of both players, underscoring their significant impact on the sport.