There are two mountains left for Cristiano Ronaldo to climb.

The first is to win a World Cup, which he’ll have a final shot at in 2026 over in North America.

Then there’s the feat of reaching 1,000 career goals, something that no footballer has ever achieved before. That is, of course, unless you count Pelé, who Maradonna famously asked "Who did you score them against, your nephews in the backyard?".

If you asked Ronaldo’s preference, he’d take the World Cup, as it’s the only major trophy that’s escaped him over a 21-year career. The desire to win a World Cup runs so deep, in fact, that CR7 reportedly turned down several clubs this summer just so he could rest up ahead of the 2026 tournament.

But World Cup aside, Ronaldo also has his mind set on reaching 1,000 career goals. Much of the talk surrounding the 40-year-old is whether or not there’s actually enough time left for him to even do it, despite continuing to score at a phenomenal rate for Al-Nassr. The clock is ticking fast and father time waits for nobody in football, but Ronaldo might just be able to squeeze his way through to the landmark achievement.

Ronaldo Closing in On 1,000 Goals

When Ronaldo made the shock move to Al-Nassr at the end of 2022, some media sceptics labeled the Saudi Pro League as nothing more than a retirement home with plenty of money and sun for him. This is why it came as somewhat of a surprise when a then 37-year-old Ronaldo started banging in goals for fun, which he’s since kept doing for the past two-and-a-half seasons. And heading into the 2025-26 season with Al-Nassr, Ronaldo currently sits on 938 total career goals, with his most recent coming against Spain in the Nations League final.

These past few years have been a fascinating chapter in Ronaldo’s career, that’s for sure. After his disastrous 2nd spell with Man Utd came crashing down in 2022, many assumed that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would make a homecoming to Sporting CP for a couple of seasons, retire from international football, and then call it a day. The exact opposite has happened, though, with Ronaldo bagging tons of goals for Al-Nassr — 99 goals in 111 matches so far — while remaining a key starter for Portugal up front.

We’ve now arrived at a point where, against all the odds, Ronaldo is fast closing in on 1,000 career goals. With most of his contemporaries long since retired, Ronaldo just keeps going, despite now being in his 40s with little left to prove. And you know he won’t hang up his boots until he hits that 1000-goal landmark.

Betting On Ronaldo to Reach 1,000 Goals

As of right now, official sportsbooks don’t offer odds on Ronaldo to reach 1,000 goals. When the number starts getting closer is when markets will start becoming available. However, you can still bet on Ronaldo to do this by using peer-to-peer (P2P) betting. There are several p2p betting platforms available, and the way it works is users create their own bets, odds, and terms. So, if you think Ronaldo will reach 1,000 goals, you can set the bet up and wait for somebody to accept it.

Ronaldo Signs 2-Year Deal with Al-Nassr, Keeping Him at the Club Beyond His 42nd Birthday

At the end of last month, Ronaldo made the call to sign a 2-year extension with Al-Nassr, keeping him at the club until 2027. It came following speculation that the former Real Madrid striker was considering a move back to Europe to play in the Champions League again, but he ultimately opted to stick with Al-Nassr, which now looks certain to be the club he’ll finish his career with. And based on his new deal, Ronaldo himself will be 42-years-old by the time that happens.

In hindsight, it was quite obvious Ronaldo would stay in Saudi Arabia. Ultimately, it’s where he has the best possible chance of surpassing 1,000 career goals, and Ronaldo himself will have factored this into his decision making. Admittedly, most Ronaldo fans wanted to see him back in Europe for one last dance, with Chelsea and several other clubs reportedly interested in striking up a deal. However, doing this would have harmed Ronaldo’s 1,000-goal career aim, as no 40-year-old striker on the planet is going to score 60+ goals in 2 years across any of Europe’s major leagues.

Another Couple of Seasons in Saudi — and the Upcoming 2026 World Cup — Provide Enough Opportunity for Ronaldo Before Time Runs Out

At the rate Ronaldo continues to score goals at Al-Nassr, which currently sits at close to a goal per game, a fresh 2-year deal with the club gives the Portgueseman just enough time to reach 1,000 goals. Based on the current trajectory, if Ronaldo does manage to maintain his goalscoring form, he’ll reach the 1,000 goal mark sometime towards the end of his 2-year deal. On top of this, there are, of course, the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers along and the 2026 World Cup itself, which will provide the opportunity for Ronaldo to bag some extra goals, too.

A lot of it will also come down to whether Ronaldo can stay injury-free. For the most part, Ronaldo has avoided major injury throughout his career thanks to taking impeccable care of his body. However, at 40 years of age, there’s no telling what could happen. We saw it before with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who played until he was 41 but had to retire at AC Milan due to an ongoing knee injury, so CR7 fans will have to pray that Ronaldo avoids the same fate.

CR7: “I’m not chasing 1,000 Goals”

Ronaldo himself has denied chasing 1,000 career goals in several interviews now. Everybody knows, though, that he is. The serial winner wants every record in the book he can possibly get before walking away from the sport, and none would be more iconic than reaching 1,000 career goals. It would, as well, add more fuel to the fire in the “GOAT” debate).

Most recently, Ronaldo was asked about it after scoring twice in Al-Nassr’s derby win over Al Hilal:

“Guys, let’s enjoy the moment. The present. I’m not following 1,000 (goals). If it’s yes, perfect. If it’s not, not.”

In this case, Ronaldo’s words would be more believable if he’d opted to move back to Europe this summer. However, he didn’t, with the decision largely based around that staying with Al-Nassr means he’s much more likely to reach the landmark. Make no doubt about it, Ronaldo wants those 1,000 goals — and his new 2-year deal reflects that.

Has Any Footballer Scored 1,000 Goals Before?

Throughout football history, no footballer has ever scored 1,000 goals. While some players like Pelé and Romário claim to have achieved the feat, their tallies take into account things like friendly matches and unofficial games. In the case of Pelé, his official goal tally is actually 757, significantly less than Ronaldo’s.

So, if CR7 is to reach 1,000 goals before he retires, he’d be the first footballer to ever do it. Even if the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé keep playing until their 40s, neither of them would get close to this tally based on current projections, either, making Ronaldo’s achievement completely unique and probably unattainable for anyone to ever reach.

Ronaldo Will Reach 1,000 Goal Landmark, But Only If He Can Avoid Injury

Ahead of the upcoming 2025-26 Saudi Pro League season, as well as the fast-approaching World Cup 2026, all eyes are on Cristiano Ronaldo and if he can do the impossible by reaching 1,000 career goals. At 40 years of age, it’s a big ask, and the fact that the record likely won’t be broken until Ronaldo hits 42 makes it even crazier. However, as Ronaldo has shown time and time again through his career, anything is possible. Over the next two seasons, don’t be surprised to see CR7 finally push past 1,000 goals if he can stay injury-free, with the majority of those remaining goals being scored in the Saudi Pro League.