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Cristiano Ronaldo makes his GOAT claim clear: ‘I am the greatest in history’
The numbers do back his claim. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 980 goals in 1,337 professional appearances for clubs and Portugal.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has made his stance on football's long-standing GOAT debate clear, claiming he is the greatest player in history and insisting his goalscoring record deserves more recognition.
The Athletic published excerpts from Ronaldo's interview with CNN, in which the 41-year-old said: "People do not give the level I produce and my goals the credit they deserve."
The numbers do back his claim. Ronaldo has scored 980 goals in 1,337 professional appearances for clubs and Portugal. Almost half of those goals (450) came for Real Madrid in 438 appearances, while he has scored 146 for Portugal and 145 more for Manchester United. He has also netted 133 goals in 156 appearances for his current club, Al Nassr, and 101 in 134 matches for Juventus, where he spent three seasons.
Asked whether he was targeting the unprecedented milestone of 1,000 career goals, Ronaldo replied: "Things have to happen naturally. If I score 920 goals, or 925, or 930, the best player in history is me, and that's the end of it."
He added, "The numbers speak for themselves. If I reach that figure, meaning a thousand goals, it would be something amazing and a target I am working towards, but I don't think about the long term."
The Portuguese star is currently serving a suspension imposed by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) after walking out of the national team's training camp late last month. He accused Portugal boss Jorge Jesus of breaking his promise twice regarding his playing time. Ronaldo, however, apologised to his fans and teammates for his actions and accepted the federation's punishment. He is expected to return during the November 2026 international break.
Asked about his long-term plans, Ronaldo said: "I don't know what will happen tomorrow. Maybe I'll wake up one day and lose my motivation, and no longer want to play. I really don't know what might happen."
Ronaldo had earlier suggested that the ongoing season would be his last at Al Nassr, but has yet to set a date for his retirement from international football.
