Cristiano Ronaldo’s never-ending thirst for scoring led to him netting a 40th goal in a single calendar year for an incredible 14th time in his storied career.
Fans around the world have been asking for the best part of 20 years who the better player is: Lionel Messi or Ronaldo? There is of course no right or wrong answer to the conundrum, rather an individual’s preference of what they look for in a player and what they determine the best to look like.
If it’s the number of goals scored that hold sway with those in the depths of a Messi/Ronaldo existential crisis, there is of course a statistical answer—Ronaldo is the better player.
The highest goalscorer in international men’s football has openly spoken of his desire to get to 1,000 career goals for club and country, and he now sits on 956 after a brace for Al Nassr in a 3–0 win over Al Akhdoud. Messi, in comparison, has a paltry 923 career goals to his name.
Ronaldo’s been plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League for three years now, ending his career at Europe’s top level approximately six months before Messi headed to MLS to join Inter Miami. He’s gone on to score 112 times in Al Nassr yellow and blue from 125 appearances, while Messi has found the back of the net 77 times in 88 showings in Miami pink. Messi did, however, lead his side to 2025 MLS Cup glory—Ronaldo has not been able to achieve similar in the Middle East.
What Ronaldo has done is prove that he’s still one of the best goal-getters in the business, even if he is little over a month away from turning 41 years of age.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Seasons of Scoring 40 Goals or More
| Year | Appearances | Goals Scored (Club and Country) |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 59 | 48 |
| 2011 | 60 | 60 |
| 2012 | 71 | 63 |
| 2013 | 59 | 69 |
| 2014 | 60 | 61 |
| 2015 | 57 | 57 |
| 2016 | 57 | 55 |
| 2017 | 60 | 53 |
| 2018 | 53 | 49 |
| 2020 | 45 | 44 |
| 2021 | 65 | 47 |
| 2023 | 59 | 54 |
| 2024 | 51 | 43 |
| 2025 | 45 | 40 |
Relentless Ronaldo Keeps on Scoring
Critics of Ronaldo point to the fact he’s playing in an inferior strength league in order to continue scoring goals at the rate he does—not because he’s still the elite player he was during his Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus pomp.
But his scoring statistics for Portugal in major tournaments and competition qualifiers suggest he’s still operating at the highest level—25 goals in 30 games since the beginning of 2023 is testament to how Ronaldo is continuing to dominate the international scene.
He’s also long argued that the Saudi Pro League is far more challenging than the naysayers dare admit.
“Of course, we [the Saudi Pro League] are still improving but I believe that in this moment that we are in top five [leagues in the world] already,” Ronaldo said in June after extending his Al Nassr contract. “I still believe that we will continue to improve, and we have time and we have shown in the last two years that the league is going up all the time.”
In addition to breaching the 1,000-goal mark, winning a trophy with Al Nassr is high on Ronaldo’s priority list over the next 12 months, as is winning the World Cup for the first time with Portugal—something he’s not come close to doing despite appearing in the competition on five separate occasions (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022).
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MATCH REACTION
- ‘Finalise’—Antoine Semenyo Closing on Transfer to Chosen Suitor
- Steven Gerrard Laments Arsenal Transfer Swoop Over Liverpool
- Rasmus Hojlund Surpasses Man Utd Milestone in Less Than 1,000 Minutes
- 2025–26 League Two Playoffs: Fixtures, Dates, Teams in Contention
- Transfer Rumors: Liverpool Eye Elite Van Dijk Successor; Rodrygo’s €80 Million Real Madrid Exit
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cristiano Ronaldo Hits Incredible Goal Milestone for 14th Time in Career.
