The world record for scoring the most goals of any player in the history of football… could an award be any more prestigious than that? Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t think so, as he has made it clear in the past that this record is the one that he covets more than any other.
After edging ever closer to the top spot for several years, Ronaldo finally drew level with Czech-Austrian legend Josef Bican in Juventus’ during an Italian Serie A match against Sassuolo on January 10th, 2021. A few days later on January 20th, he took the lead during another win for his team Juventus in a Supercup game against Napoli.
Previous Top Goalscorers
Few players have managed to score more than 500 goals throughout their career. Those that do manage to accomplish this remarkable feat join an elite club whose members include such names as Pele, Romario, Gerd Muller and Ferenc Puskas.
There is some debate over the exact number of goals scored by previous record holder Josef Bican, but most sources are in agreement that in terms of their professional records, Ronaldo is now ahead with 760 goals scored during his 20-year career.
Ronaldo could have some competition though, as Argentinian Lionel Messi continues to climb quickly up the rankings each passing year. He’s a little younger than Ronaldo too, so could potentially play for a few more seasons after Ronaldo eventually retires.
His Greatest Achievement?
Whatever happens, Ronaldo already has an enviable record of achievements during his professional career and will always be regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He has been presented with five of the distinguished Ballon d’Or awards, which is generally recognized as the most prestigious trophy given to individual players. Whilst this is the highest for a European player, it is one behind Messi who received his sixth golden ball in 2019.
Cristiano has also collected a series of “Highest Goalscorer†records on his journey to becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in the history of football. Notable victories include the record for scoring the most goals in the UEFA Champions League (134), both the UEFA European Championship (9) and its qualifying stage (31), as well as the FIFA Club World Cup (7).
Furthermore, Ronaldo currently holds the record for the most goals scored in a UEFA Champions League season with 17 goals scored. The player says he aims to increase this record further in 2021, and Unibet IN is now taking bets on whether he could achieve that goal. Do you fancy his chances?
Altogether, the player now boasts an incredible 760 goals and has provided a total of 223 assists throughout his professional career. Ronaldo believes this to be his greatest achievement, and few would likely argue with that!
What Next for Ronaldo?
Whilst Cristiano is now 35 years of age, he has publicly stated that he does not intend to retire any time soon. The player hopes to continue competing at the top level of football beyond 2022, though he accepts a move from his club Juventus may be on the cards before then.
According to the Italian daily Tuttosport, Ronaldo may be considering a move to Paris Saint-Germain at some point in the near future. Such a move would be his preference the paper claims, as he has expressed a wish not to follow in the footsteps of players such as David Beckham by joining America’s Major League Soccer or the Chinese Super League. One of those leagues could change his mind of course, as both competitions have shown a willingness to entice big-name players with huge wages in recent years.
It’s possible that Ronaldo may be premature in predicting an end to his time at Juventus, too – his shooting accuracy, shot conversion rate and big chance conversion percentage in Serie A are all higher this season than any previous year. It is currently early in the campaign of course, but all signs currently point to this being Ronaldo’s best year ever.
