Will Cristiano Ronaldo reach the 1000-goal mark? Carlo Ancelotti delivers bold prediction on the Portuguese chances
Cristiano Ronaldo has managed to remain one of the best players in the world despite constant criticism. At 40 years old, he continues to shine at Al Nassr and with Portugal, where he is the leading scorer. With this, he has managed to stay quite close to the historic milestone of 1,000 goals, setting another record in his name. For this reason, Carlo Ancelotti dared to predict whether the Portuguese player would reach this milestone soon.
“He’s going to do it, for sure. Have no doubt he’ll achieve it…Luka (Modric) and Cristiano are professionals who love soccer and are passionate about the sport. They will always achieve whatever they want. Cristiano will surely reach 1,000 goals, but when he does, he shouldn’t forget to invite me to the celebration of that incredible record,” Carlo Ancelotti said, via Diario AS.
In his 23-year professional career, Cristiano Ronaldo has made his mark on the history of two of the most historic teams, Real Madrid and Manchester United, by winning important trophies and playing a key role. In addition, he has played a total of 1,296 official games in which he has scored 953 goals. With this, the Portuguese player is just 47 goals away from reaching the historic milestone of 1,000 goals, being the first to have them all on video.
Even if this figure seems quite distant, Cristiano recently scored over 40 goals in both 2024 and 2023. In 2025, he has already netted 37 goals, suggesting that his scoring pace might enable him to reach 1,000 goals by 2026. With this in mind, the veteran has expressed his desire to achieve this milestone while representing Portugal in the 2026 World Cup final. In case he reaches that scoring mark, he would definitely edge another record under his name in soccer history.
Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo: The thrilling race to 1000-goal mark
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated the modern soccer era, contending for every individual award for over 14 years. Although both have moved on from top European leagues, they continue to excel in scoring, making the race to reach 1,000 career goals particularly intriguing despite one of them holds a significant advantage.
While Cristiano remains in the lead in the race for 1,000 goals with 953 goals scored, Lionel Messi is not far behind. In 1,133 games, the Argentine has scored 894 goals. With a contract until 2028 with Inter Miami, he could seek to close this gap significantly or even surpass the Portuguese player, who has a contract until 2027 with Al Nassr. Therefore, it is not only about reaching this figure first but also about who manages to score the most goals when both are retired.