11 Years After 500, Ronaldo Eyes 1,000 Goals

On this day in 2015, Cristiano Ronaldo reached a milestone that looked almost impossible to imagine at the time.

Eleven years later, he is just 21 goals away from another one.

Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid defeated Malmö 2–0 in the Champions League on September 30, 2015.

His first goal in the 29th minute was the 500th senior goal of his career for club and country. His second made it 501 and also took him level with Raúl González on 323 goals as Real Madrid's all-time leading scorer at the time.

Fast forward 11 years and Ronaldo has turned that 500-goal milestone into a chase for four figures.

The Portuguese superstar currently has 979 career goals, leaving him just 21 goals short of 1,000.

That means the man who celebrated his 500th goal against Malmö in 2015 is now standing on the verge of a milestone no men's footballer has officially reached in professional competition.

Ronaldo has already spoken openly about his ambition.

He recently revealed that scoring his 1,000th goal for Portugal would be his preferred scenario, describing it as the “crowning” of something great.

And the timing makes the pursuit even more intriguing.

At 41, Ronaldo is still playing for Al-Nassr and Portugal, although his immediate international future has become uncertain after he left Portugal's training camp on September 30.

From 500 to 979.

From Malmö in 2015 to the brink of 1,000 in 2026.

Just 21 goals remain. ⏳🐐