Cristiano Ronaldo chases 1,000: How many goals has the legendary forward scored during his professional career?

Cristiano Ronaldo has a staggering record of 938 goals in 1,281 matches during a 23-year career.

One of the greatest players to ever take to the field, Ronaldo has now turned 40, but he continues to find the back of the net at an incredible rate, and he is showing no signs of slowing down ahead of the 2026 World Cup, where he hopes to represent Portugal.

When he does eventually retire, Ronaldo will go down as the greatest goalscorer in the history of football, but there is still plenty left for him to achieve before the end of his career.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at Ronaldo's 938 goals, including a club-by-club breakdown, while we also touch on his staggering record in arguably the best club tournament in world football, the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid goals - 450

Man United reluctantly allowed to sell Ronaldo to Real Madrid in 2009, and he went on to have a quite stunning nine-year spell with the capital giants, scoring 450 goals and registering 131 assists in 438 appearances in all competitions.

Ronaldo struck 105 Champions League goals in 101 matches during his time at Real Madrid, while he managed 311 goals and 95 assists in 292 outings in the top flight of Spanish football.

The forward's best season at Real Madrid came in 2014-15, when he managed 61 in all competitions, and he managed 44 in 44 matches in his final campaign at the club before leaving for Juventus.

Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United goals - 145

Ronaldo had two spells at Man United, first representing the Red Devils between 2003 and 2009, before returning to the club in 2021, but he left Old Trafford at the end of 2022 after the breakdown of his relationship with the English giants.

In his first spell, Ronaldo managed 118 goals in 292 appearances, becoming one of the best players in world football in the process, with his standout campaign coming in 2007-08, when he struck 42 times in 49 appearances.

Man United got another season out of the Portuguese, managing 26 more goals in 2008-09, before he left for Real Madrid.

Ronaldo made an emotional return to Old Trafford from Juventus in 2021, scoring 27 goals in 54 appearances, giving him a record of 145 goals in 346 appearances, and he will forever be remembered as a legend for the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo Juventus goals - 101

Ronaldo scored 101 goals and registered 22 assists in 134 appearances during his time at Juventus, representing the club between 2018 and 2021, including 81 goals in the top flight of Italian football.

There were question marks surrounding the forward's switch to Turin, but his goal record was staggering in a new league, and he won another five trophies with the Old Lady, including two Serie A titles.

Ronaldo has scored over 100 times for three clubs during his professional career, but there is a chance that could become four, with the Portuguese fast approaching a century for Al-Nassr.

Cristiano Ronaldo Al-Nassr goals - 99

Easily the most controversial of Ronaldo's career moves came at the start of 2023, when he made the move to Saudi Arabia.

The forward now has a record of 99 goals and 19 assists in 111 appearances for Al-Nassr, but his contract with the club is due to expire at the end of June.

Ronaldo is believed to be planning to represent Portugal at the 2026 World Cup, and it appears that he will be representing Al-Nassr for another season, with an agreement over a new contract thought to be close.

Cristiano Ronaldo Sporting Lisbon goals - 5

Ronaldo started his career at Sporting, making his first-team debut for the Lisbon giants at the age of 17, and his form led to him moving to Man United, with the Red Devils winning the race for his signature.

The attacker only made 31 appearances for Sporting, scoring five goals and registering six assists, but his potential was clear, and it is incredible to think that he has now been scoring goals for the last 23 years.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal goals - 138

Ronaldo is the highest men's international goalscorer of all time, netting 138 times for Portugal in 221 appearances, which is also a record, with the forward having a stunning career for his country.

The striker's future with Portugal looked in doubt after the 2022 World Cup, but he scored 10 times in nine appearances for his country in 2023 and then another seven in 12 outings in 2024, and he remains a vital figure.

It would be some story if Ronaldo could inspire his country to success at the 2026 World Cup, and that tournament could well make the end of a career which has seen him cement his spot in the history of the sport.

Cristiano Ronaldo Champions League goals - 140

Ronaldo has the most appearances in Champions League history (183) and the most goals (140).

At Real Madrid, he managed 105 strikes in 101 outings in Europe's leading competition, while he netted 21 in 59 outings for Man United and 14 in 23 appearances for Juventus, with his record in the Champions League standing strong.

Lionel Messi is second on 129 and will not break it unless another surprising move happens before the end of his career, while Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski is 35 strikes behind Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo goals by body part

Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of Ronaldo's goals during his professional career have come using his favoured right foot, scoring 601 times.

The forward has also managed 179 with his left foot, in addition to a stunning 156 with his head, demonstrating his ability in the air.

The final two are classed under 'other', using his thigh and his elbow, with the latter coming during a 2014 La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao.

Cristiano Ronaldo goals by venue

Ronaldo's mentality is shown by the fact that he registered an incredible number of goals in 'away' matches during his career.

Indeed, the attacker scored 376 times in 'away' games, while 501 goals have come in 'home' fixtures for club and country.

Ronaldo also managed 61 goals at neutral stadiums, with the forward consistently scoring in the biggest matches throughout his career.

Written by
Matt Law