Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 900th career goal during Portugal’s Nations League match against Croatia on Thursday.
He made the goal in the 34th minute at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon.
“It means a lot,” Ronaldo said after Portugal’s 2-1 victory. “It was a milestone I wanted to reach for a long time. I knew I would reach this number because as I continue to play, it would happen naturally.”
During the celebration, Ronaldo raised his hands to his face and fell to his knees. “It was emotional because it’s a milestone,” he said.
“It seems like any other milestone, but only I know, and the people around me, how hard it is to work every day, to be physically and psychologically fit, to score 900 goals. It’s a unique milestone in my career.”
This goal was his 131st in international matches. The goal gave Portugal a 2-0 lead, but Croatia later scored to make it 2-1.
He is the first man to reach 900 goals in official matches for both club and country. Ronaldo plays club soccer for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
