In the modern era of football, reaching 1,000 career goals is an achievement widely considered impossible. Yet, Cristiano Ronaldo has taken another step toward football immortality. Following his brace against Al Riyadh SC on 20 September 2025, the Al Nassr star reached 945 official goals, keeping alive the dream of becoming the first modern player to score 1,000 career goals.
### Who’s Really Leading the Race?
Ronaldo is the undisputed frontrunner. With 945 official strikes, he needs just 55 more to hit the magic four-digit mark. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi remains distant on 885 goals. With Messi now playing for Inter Miami, the gap between the two stars is becoming increasingly difficult to bridge.
### How Do We Count the Goals?
Career tallies can be calculated in two ways:
– **Official competitive goals:** This method is trusted by bodies like RSSSF and IFFHS and includes goals scored in league, cup, continental, and international matches.
– **All matches:** A looser standard that inflates totals by including friendlies, which is why legends like Pelé and Romário are often listed above 1,000 goals.
### The Rest of the Pack
Other prolific scorers trail behind Ronaldo and Messi by a significant margin. Robert Lewandowski sits at 715 goals, Harry Kane at 479, Neymar at 445, while Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland have 393 and 315 goals respectively. Although talented, they are still hundreds of goals away from the elusive 1,000 milestone.
### The Big Picture
At 40 years old, Ronaldo remains football’s only realistic hope of reaching the mythical 1,000-goal landmark. Messi is too far back, and while the next generation is bursting with talent, few may match Ronaldo’s longevity and consistency.
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https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/1000-goal-chase-ronaldo-messi-235500240.html