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Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest football players the world has ever seen. To many, he is the greatest, and this has fueled football debates and continues to do so. However, regardless of which side of the divide you are on, one thing that is undeniable is that the Portuguese is a record-breaking machine. Since his record-breaking move to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro-League, he has broken several records that will leave your jaws dropping. Find them below.
In a career that took off about two decades ago, the superstar has set and broken numerous records to sit firmly among the biggest legends of the game. Since his move to Manchester United at a young age, the forward has left his mark on European football, winning every trophy while becoming the most lethal player in the continent’s history.
He is the all-time leading scorer in the UEFA Champions League (140) and the player with the most Champions League appearances (183). He is also leading the way for goals and appearances on the international scene, captaining the Portuguese national team to their first trophy in history at Euro 2016.
After an illustrious career in Europe, playing and breaking records at Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, and Real Madrid, the forward decided to move to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. The move was a record-breaking one, and he has continued to break records since the move. Here are ten remarkable achievements by Cristiano Ronaldo since he joined Al Nassr.
1. The world’s highest-paid athlete
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr saw him become the highest-paid athlete in the world. According to Forbes and as reported by Guinness World Records, Ronaldo made a whopping $136 million, including $46 million from his football salary and bonuses. $90 million came from activities off the pitch, such as endorsements, appearances, licensing income, and other businesses.
After his second stint with Manchester United came to an unceremonious end, Ronaldo completed a move to Al Nassr in January 2023. The deal is worth around $200 million a year, including endorsements and other earnings, and he signed for two-and-a-half years.
The superstar has a lifetime deal with Nike and brings in millions via his CR-7-branded merchandise.
2. The most hat tricks by an active footballer
Ronaldo has the most hat-tricks in football history by an active football player, with 66 career hat-tricks. The Al-Nassr captain loves to score goals and does not get tired of finding the back of the net. This attitude has helped him score a lot of hat-tricks since his first career hat-trick at Manchester United in a 6-0 Premier League victory over Newcastle United in 2008, as he is always hungry for more goals.
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3. Most goals recognized by FIFA
Ronaldo has scored more goals recognised by FIFA than any other player in football history. At the time of writing, he has scored 890 goals, scoring his 850th goal in Al-Nassr’s 5-1 win over Al Hazm in the Saudi Pro-League on September 2, 2023. Ronaldo inked his name at the top of history's scoring charts after surpassing Josef Bican (805).
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21:35 - 02.09.2023
History-making Ronaldo bags 850th goal as Al Nassr demolishes Al Hazem
150 goals more - With 2 assists to go with his 850th goal, Ronaldo the hero as Al Nassr destroys Al Hazem.
4. The first player to hit the 890th goal mark in professional football history
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score 890 professional career goals after scoring his hat trick in Al-Nassr’s 6-0 win over Al-Wehda in the Saudi Pro-League on May 4, 2024.
A breakdown of his career goals includes 450 goals at Real Madrid, 145 goals over two stints at Manchester United, 101 goals at Juventus, 5 goals for Sporting CP, 128 goals for Portugal, and 61 goals for his current club, Al-Nassr.
5. The sixth player to score over 500 league goals in his career
Cristiano Ronaldo became the sixth player in football history to score 500+ league goals after scoring four goals in Al Nassr’s 4-0 win over Al Wehda in the Saudi Pro-League on February 9, 2023.
Pele (604), Abe Lenstra (573), Romario (544), Josef Bican, and Ferenc Puskas (515) are the only players to have achieved this feat.
Ronaldo has scored 544 league goals at the time of writing this article. He scored 103 goals in 236 league appearances for Manchester United across both stints, 311 goals in 292 league appearances for Real Madrid, 81 goals in 98 league appearances for Juventus, and he is currently on 46 goals in 43 league appearances so far at Al Nassr.
6. The only player to score 30 hat tricks before turning 30 years old and 30 after turning 30
Cristiano Ronaldo boasts a unique record of scoring 30 hat-tricks before turning 30 years old and 30 after turning 30. The Al Nassr talisman continues to age like fine wine, having now scored more hat-tricks (36) since turning 30 than he scored before turning 30 (30).
Ronaldo posted on his social media account when he scored his 30th hat trick after turning 30 years old, saying it was time to "unbalance the scale". He has done exactly that, scoring three hat tricks for Al-Nassr since then.
7. All-time international appearance record
Cristiano Ronaldo is the player with the most international appearances (206), surpassing Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa (196), who held the record before him. He achieved this feat with his 197th international cap when Portugal played Liechtenstein in their opening match of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign on March 23, 2023. To celebrate this achievement, he scored a brace in his record-breaking game, while Al Nassr also presented a special cake to him.
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07:04 - 01.04.2023
Al Nassr celebrate history-maker Ronaldo with lovely cake
Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr presented Cristiano Ronaldo with a beautiful cake to celebrate his record-breaking outing during the international break.
8. The first player to score 100 competitive international goals
Cristiano Ronaldo is the first footballer in history to score 100 competitive international goals. He achieved this feat when he bagged a brace in Portugal’s opening match of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign against Liechtenstein on March 23, 2023. He has scored 108 competitive international goals at the time of writing this article.
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9. Has scored in 20 consecutive years for Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo's brace against Liechtenstein on March 23, 2023, meant he had scored in 20 consecutive years for Portugal. The Portuguese captain scored his first goal for the country in June 2004 in a 2-1 defeat to Greece during the group stages of Euro 2004. Since then, he has scored every year for Portugal and is not looking to slow down.
10. Highest number of headed goals in competitive matches
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 149th headed goal in competitive matches in Al Nassr’s 6-0 win over Al-Wehda. His headed goals tally has surpassed that of previous record holder Gerd Muller (144). Real Madrid legend Santillana is third on the list with 125 headed goals, while Pele is fourth with 124 headed goals.
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