PARIS: FIFA President Gianni Infantino has offered his support to Cristiano Ronaldo as the Portugal captain moves closer to the unprecedented milestone of 1,000 career goals.
The brief exchange took place during the Esports World Cup in Paris. When Ronaldo greeted Infantino, the FIFA president referred to the forward’s goal tally and told him, “23 to go? I wish you luck!”
Ronaldo currently has 977 official senior career goals, leaving him 23 goals short of the landmark 1,000-goal mark. He reached 977 after coming off the bench to score in Al-Nassr’s 4-0 victory over Al-Riyadh on August 21.
The 41-year-old remains the leading active scorer in men’s football, while Lionel Messi is the second-highest active scorer with 923 career goals, according to the figures cited in the latest reports.
Ronaldo’s latest goal was also significant for another reason: it extended his scoring record to 25 consecutive league seasons, making him the first professional footballer to score in each of 25 straight league campaigns.
Ronaldo began the new Saudi Pro League season on the bench after missing Al-Nassr’s opening fixtures, but he was introduced in the second half against Al-Riyadh and quickly made his mark.
His 977th goal was also his 130th for Al-Nassr, where he has continued to produce impressive numbers since joining the Saudi club.
With 23 goals still required, Ronaldo now faces another major target in what has become one of the most closely followed individual scoring records in football.
New Al-Nassr manager Ange Postecoglou is expected to manage Ronaldo’s workload carefully as the club competes in domestic and regional competitions. A regular scoring run could bring the Portuguese star significantly closer to the historic four-figure mark during the season.
