When Will Cristiano Ronaldo Reach 1000 Career Goals? Al-Nassr Star Pens Contract Extension In Saudi

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Ronaldo 1000 Goals

Cristiano Ronaldo has penned a new contract with Al-Nassr to keep him at the club until 2027, but will the Portugal international reach 1000 career goals in that time?

Cristiano Ronaldo Signs New Al-Nassr Contract

Football’s record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo has extended his stay at Al-Nassr by signing a new two-year contract with the club. He will stay with the Saudi Pro League side until 2027.

The 40-year-old joined the Riyadh-based outfit in December 2022 after he fell out of favour at Manchester United and had his contract terminated.

A whole slew of top professionals followed the former Real Madrid and Juventus star to Saudi Arabia, with the likes of Sadio Mane and Karim Benzema now plying their trade in the country.

His previous deal with Al-Nassr was due to expire at the end of June.

There had been speculation that Ronaldo would depart for another team in order to play at the Club World Cup, but those rumours were clearly unfounded.

Given his age, many also asked the question, ‘When will Ronaldo retire?‘. However, he is clearly in no rush to hang up his boots, and is set to keep playing until he is at least 42.

The Portugal international shared the news on X, writing: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”

When Will Ronaldo Reach 1000 Career Goals?

Al-Nassr haven’t added any domestic trophies to their cabinet since Ronaldo’s arrival, but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been as deadly as ever when it comes to scoring goals.

He has netted a total of 99 goals in 111 matches in all competitions across his two-and-a-half-year spell at Al-Awwal Park. This includes 74 goals in 77 matches in the Saudi Pro League.

Additionally, he has won the league’s Golden Boot in two successive seasons.

Cristiano Ronaldo with his second Saudi Pro League Golden Boot

Last term, Ronaldo netted a total of 35 goals in 41 matches across all competitions, and he’s well on his way to reaching his target of scoring 1000 career goals.

The Portuguese currently tops the list of players with the most goals in top-level professional football competitions, having totalled 938 goals throughout his career thus far.

His long-time rival Lionel Messi is in second on 866 goals.

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski is the closest active player after that in seventh. Poland’s record goalscorer and appearance maker has a total of 673 career goals.

But when exactly can we expect Ronaldo to reach 1000 career goals? Will he be able to hit the elusive number before his new Al-Nassr contract reaches its expiry date?

Of course, there are several factors that can affect this.

He could pick up a string of injuries or decide to retire at any moment, but for argument’s sake, we’ll assume that he stays fit and remains with the Saudi club until his deal ends.

Now just 62 goals away from reaching 1000, based on his current output, it is entirely plausible that Ronaldo will reach the four-digit figure before the end of his career.

He has averaged a total of 0.89 goals per game since moving to the Middle East, therefore by scoring at the same pace going forward, he’d reach 1000 goals in around 70 matches.

Having featured in 50 matches for club and country this season, if Ronaldo does get to 1000 goals, it will likely happen towards the halfway point of the 2026-27 campaign.

Players With 500 or More Career Goals

Below is the list of players that have scored 500 or more goals in their careers, according to data gathered by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).

Ronaldo tops the list, followed by Messi and legendary Brazilian Pele.

Players that are still active are highlighted in bold.

Rank Player Total Goals
1 Cristiano Ronaldo 938
2 Lionel Messi 866
3 Pele 762
4 Romario 756
5 Ferenc Puskas 725
6 Josef Bican 722
7 Robert Lewandowski 673
8 Jimmy Jones 639
9 Gerd Muller 634
10 Joe Bambrick 626
11 Abe Lenstra 624
12 Luis Suarez 592
13 Eusebio 578
14 Glenn Ferguson 563
15 Zlatan Ibrahimovic 561
16 Imre Schlosser 553
17 Fernando Peyroteo 553
18 Uwe Seeler 552
19 Jimmy McGrory 550
20 Alfredo Di Stefano 537
21 Gyorgy Sarosi 530
22 Roberto Dinamite 513
23 Hugo Sanchez 507
24 Franz Binder 503
25 Zico 501

Note: Data is accurate as of 24 June, 2025.