Portugal beat Poland 3-1 in the third Group A match of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Nations League held at the National Stadium in Warsaw on Tuesday (Korea time). Portugal kept its No. 1 ranking in Group I with three wins. Poland lost two straight games after one win, falling to third place after losing to Croatia.
Ronaldo, who played in his 215th A-match, scored his 133rd A-match goal. Ronaldo formed a three-top team with Rafael Leão and Pedro Netu on the day. Ronaldo, wearing the captain’s armband, scored the winning goal in the 37th minute of the first half.
Ronaldo jumped in and finished the game with his left foot when Rafael Leão hit the post with a shot that he sent off, beating three defenders. Ronaldo continued his scoring ability by scoring goals in all three Nations League matches. Ronaldo scored 906 goals on the day. Ronaldo has scored 773 goals in total in professional league, and has 906 goals including goals scored in A matches. Now he has only 94 goals left until his 1,000th goal.
Ronaldo reached his 900th goal last month. Ronaldo recently announced his goal of “1,000 goals” through a meeting with Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, UR.CRISTIANO. Asked by Ferdinand how long he would play, Ronaldo said, “41? I don’t know. As long as there are no injuries, it is a goal that is possible.”
“The best record I could have in football was to score 900 goals. After that, my challenge will be 1,000 goals,” he said. “The only difference is that every goal I scored is on video. So I can prove that this is real.”
His remark targeted Pelé, the “king of soccer.” Pelé is recognized for scoring 757 goals. On the other hand, Pelé also claimed that his score exceeded 1,000 goals, referring to his score at a friendly match as a member of Santos. FIFA also recognizes Pelé’s score record at 1,281 goals.
“Are you talking about Di Stefano, Pele, Euzebio right now?” Ferdinand asked, while Ronaldo said, “I respect all of them. My score is real. If you want more scoring records, you can also take advantage of the video you scored in training.”
Ronaldo became the first player to reach 1,000 goals, his 900th goal. Ronaldo became the first player to reach the 900th goal, ahead of Lionel Messi, the “God of soccer,” as well as Pele (757 goals), Euzevou (733 goals) and Gerd Müller (724 goals). Perhaps inspired by his 900th goal, Ronaldo also lay face-to-face on the ground instead of his usual trademark “Wow Ceremony.” With tears in his eyes, Ronaldo smiled and shared his joy with his teammates. Afterwards, Ronaldo extended his arms to the audience and cheered, then raised his arms high to encourage home fans to cheer.
Starting with his debut goal against Moreyrens in October 2002, Ronaldo scored 131 goals for the national team, five for Sporting Lisbon, 145 for Manchester United, 450 for Real Madrid, 101 for Juventus, and 68 for Al Nasr. Although Ronaldo has been so sluggish that he has not scored a single goal in major tournaments, especially in the World Cup tournament, it is a truly remarkable scoring record.
Ronaldo said on his YouTube channel, “Some people say I didn’t score a goal in the last Euros. What’s the problem? I scored 130 goals in A matches. I’m the top scorer in A matches.”
Now Ronaldo is aiming for his 1,000th goal, which is truly unprecedented. Realistically, it is not easy. However, given his consistent scoring ability, it is not impossible. Ronaldo had 35 goals in 31 matches in the Saudi League last season. He has scored 50 goals (35 in regular league, 3 in cup competitions, 6 in Asian Champions League, 6 in Arab Club Champions Cup) in 50 matches.
If not for an unexpected injury, he could indeed make his 1,000th goal. Ronaldo has scored 11 goals this season with 꽁머니, including eight in the pro league and three in-game goals.
Portugal scored a delightful victory thanks to Ronaldo’s performance. Portugal took the lead in the 26th minute with Bernardo Silva’s first goal. Silva finished the ball with his left foot after Bruno Fernandes dropped it with his head. Ronaldo’s additional goal was scored in the 37th minute. Portugal conceded a goal to Fiord Zielinski in the 33rd minute of the second half, but Jan Bernarek scored an own goal to end the 3-1 victory.