Cristiano Ronaldo edges closer to 1,000 goals with milestone 900th in dramatic win

In a landmark match that will be remembered for years, Cristiano Ronaldo, the football legend from Real Madrid and Manchester United, made history by scoring his 900th career goal during Portugal's 2-1 victory over Croatia. 

At 39, Ronaldo becomes the first player ever to reach such a feat, a moment that saw him visibly moved, dropping to his knees and shedding tears on the pitch in Lisbon.

The emotional goal came from a close-range tap-in, assisted by Nuno Mendes' precise cross.

 This milestone adds to Ronaldo's glittering legacy and follows his recent declaration on his new YouTube channel: "Soon I will do 900 and, after, I will beat 1,000. I want to reach 1,000 goals. If I don’t have injuries, this, for me, is the most important. I want that. It’s the best marker I can have in football. There will be one difference: all of my goals have videos, so I can prove that."

Ronaldo's career tally includes impressive stints across Europe's top clubs, including 450 goals at Real Madrid, 118 at Manchester United, and contributions at Juventus and in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr. 

Internationally, Ronaldo has now scored 131 goals in 212 appearances for Portugal. 

Despite recent criticism for his performance in this summer's Euros, where Portugal exited in the quarter-finals without a goal from Ronaldo, his continued success on the field remains undisputed.