How many goals Cristiano Ronaldo has scored as he makes retirement pledge?

Cristiano Ronaldo intends to keep playing until he has reached 1,000 career goals, so just how long is that likely to take?

The legendary forward is still going strong at 40 years old, scoring regularly for his club side Al-Nassr and, much more remarkably, for Portugal.

He turns 41 in February and he will have to hang up his boots at some point, but he does not intend to just yet.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar will be playing at this summer’s World Cup with Portugal, where he will be hoping to extend his own record for international goals.

Ronaldo has scored 143 times for his country, more than any other player has managed on the international stage, with eight of those goals coming in 2025.

He has plenty of records to his name, but he wants that 1,000th goal before he heads off into the sunset.

‘It’s hard to continue playing, but I am motivated,’ Ronaldo said at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai on Sunday.

‘My passion is high and I want to continue. It doesn’t matter where I play, whether in the Middle East or Europe. I always enjoy playing football and I want to keep going.

‘You know what my goal is. I want to win trophies and I want to reach that number [1,000 goals] that you all know. I will reach the number for sure, if no injuries.’

How many goals has Cristiano Ronaldo scored?

With his brace in Al-Nassr’s 3-0 win over Al Akhdoud on Saturday, Ronaldo took his career tally to 956 goals for club and country.

Needing just 44 more goals to reach 1,000, it seems very likely that he will make it to the milestone in the next year or two.

Prefer us to the others? Then tell Google!

As a loyal Metro reader, we want to make sure you never miss our stories when searching for your news. Whether it is the latest politics news explained, live football coverage or a showbiz scoop.

Click here and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.

Ronaldo has not found the Saudi Pro League a struggle despite his advancing years, scoring 86 times in 87 appearances in the division since his move from Manchester United in December 2022.

Across all competitions he has scored 112 times in 125 appearances for the Saudi side.

With friendlies and then the World Cup to come for Portugal, there is an outside chance Ronaldo could rack up enough goals in 2026 to reach 1,000, but 2027 does seem more likely.

Who has scored the most goals of all-time?

Ronaldo leads the way, with his great rival from their days with Real Madrid and Barcelona, Lionel Messi, second on 896 career goals.

Some claim that Pele is top of the charts with well over 1,000 goals, but many of them came in friendly matches so his official tally of 762 leaves him in third place.