Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, it’s an infamous debate, and one you probably picked a side for when you were just a kid.

But it doesn’t matter what side of the debate you fall on, it matters that you were lucky enough to get to watch them both in their best years. To build a case for Lionel Messi, scoring 92 goals in a calendar year and finally lifting the world cup probably cements it for a lot of people

That being said, I’ve mulled some numbers, and I think Cristiano Ronaldo could achieve something incredible before he retires.

🚨🎙️| Cristiano Ronaldo in the Netflix World Cup documentary: “The Louis Vuitton chess photo with Messi? You can excel in many areas of life, not just chess. One can excel in life, and I often do so.” pic.twitter.com/JQ69nbKdTx

— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) December 30, 2023

How Many Goals has Cristiano Ronaldo Scored so far

At the ripe age of 39, Cristiano Ronaldo sits on 913 career goals, following his brace for Al-Nassr against Al-Gharafa yesterday.

🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo scores again for Al Nassr and makes it 913 career goals ✨

Brace tonight. pic.twitter.com/3jmWSrJNlR

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 25, 2024

It’s been a crazy journey for Portugal’s all time top scorer, which all stemmed from his first ever goal back in October 2002 for Sporting, of course he added another four to his collection during his time in Lisbon.

He took to Manchester as a kid, and left Old Trafford a man, scoring 118 goals in the process. His scintillating form earned him a Ballon d’Or, and a move to Real Madrid.

Here’s where the numbers start inflating wildly, with Ronaldo grabbing a huge 450 goals in just 438 matches for Los Blancos, and where the ‘GOAT’ shouts started to ring true.

A stint in Turin came next, which for many people was unexpected, but Ronaldo adapted to his body's changing capabilities. Long gone was the tricky winger, and in came a well-oiled machine designed to score goals, and CR7 bagged himself another 101 goals in a Juventus shirt.

Then, in a ‘remember where you were when it happened’ moment, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford. With it, a lot of debate. One thing that couldn’t be debated was that the man knew how to score goals, and he added another 27 to his collection.

We can’t forget the 135 goals he scored for Portugal, and the Euro 2016 winning campaign from CR7, which has seen him cement himself as his nation's all-time top scorer.

Where I want to focus, strangely enough, is his current club Al-Nassr. Whilst CR7 isn’t getting younger, he’s still banging them in for fun over in Saudi Arabia. He’s scored 71 goals so far, and he’s not done yet.

Big win tonight! pic.twitter.com/W3HTxddz6U

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) November 25, 2024

Could Cristiano Ronaldo Breach the 1000 Threshold?

The threshold of 1000 goals is a debated one, to say the least. The late Pele claims he’s scored north of that benchmark, but it’s widely accepted that the real figure is likely around 760 competitive goals.

Accepting that explanation means that Ronaldo is already the highest scorer of all time, closely followed by Lionel Messi, but I’d be certain he’ll have his eye on the 1000 mark before he considers retirement.

With roughly 0.88 goals per appearance in an Al-Nassr shirt, it would take Ronaldo just 88 more games to reach 1000, should he continue at his current rate. That’s without factoring goals for Portugal either.

The issue lies with Ronaldo’s contract, which is set to expire at the end of this season. However, Ronaldo has made it clear speaking to Portuguese outlet ‘NOW’ that he’s not planning on retiring yet, and he will likely do so at Al-Nassr.

“I don't know if I will retire soon, in two or three years, but probably I will retire here at Al Nassr,”

Given his comments, I think it’s more than likely he’ll hit the 1000 goals, being the first player to do so.

900 GOALS ⚽️
1 GOAT 🐐
CRISTIANO RONALDO MAKES HIST900RY AGAIN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/InBtYTFclN

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) September 5, 2024

Now that I've said my piece, I’ll admit I fall on the Messi-side of the ‘GOAT’ debate, but Ronaldo hitting four digits will make my argument much harder to defend.