Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first player in football history to score 900 goals after his cool finish put Portugal 2-0 up against Croatia.
What seemed like a typical Ronaldo goal, the icon lurking in at the back post to tap home a smart cross from the left, turned out to be a momentous moment, with the 39-year-old passing the incredible landmark while wearing his national shirt.
Rafael Leao dropped deep on the left-hand side to collect the ball as the former Real Madrid man waited in the box, along with Bruno Fernandes.
The AC Milan star then produced a pinpoint delivery which was just begging to be prodded home – and ‘CR7’ obliged, wheeling off in celebration presumably aware of what he had just achieved.
Croatia have since pulled a goal back through an own goal from Man United‘s Diogo Dalot but this Nations League match will be remembered for yet another historic moment provided by the Portuguese legend.
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first player in football history to score 900 goals
According to transfermarkt, Ronaldo’s first ever goal came for Sporting Lisbon in a league game against Moreirense on October 7, 2002 courtesy of a solo run.
But even a man of his supreme confidence could not have predicted he would still be scoring 22 years later and passing 900 strikes.
It took Ronaldo just over five years to reach 100 goals, achieving this landmark against Tottenham on January 27, 2008 from the penalty spot.
Seven years on, the forward passed 500 finishes thanks to a goal against Malmo in the Champions League group stage on September 30, 2015.
Incredibly, it has taken him less than nine years to polish off the remaining 400 and become the first man to get 90 per cent of the way to a 1000 strikes.
Long-time adversary Lionel Messi is the only other player to pass 800, sitting on a total of 838 for club and country.
The numbers behind Ronaldo’s unprecedented achievement are mind-blowing with the Portuguese superstar scoring goals wherever he has travelled in his long career.
Remarkably, the forward has scored 130 goals for his national team alone, bagging his first in a 2-1 loss against Greece in the group stages of Euro 2004.
He went at more than a goal a game for Los Blancos, nabbing 450 goals in 438 matches in a nine-year spell for the side.
Prior to that, he scored 145 for Man United in 346 games between 2003 and 2009.
Ronaldo even passed 100 strikes for Juventus despite only being in Italy for three years.
And he has not even played most of his career as an out and out striker.
In fact, the footballing icon has scored most of his dizzying collection of goals from the left wing, notching 362 from this position.
Meanwhile he has tucked home 285 from centre forward and a further 83 from the right-hand side.
Ronaldo’s favourite competition is La Liga, scoring 311 in 292 matches in the Spanish league but his breathtaking 140 strikes in the Champions League is perhaps the most impressive and will surely never be beaten.
