Why some stats show Cristiano Ronaldo on 961 goals instead of 967

Cristiano Ronaldo fans are doing the count. Football fans are all doing the count. They are waiting for the moment he reaches 1,000 career goals, and he is firmly on course to get there. Even at 41, he continues to lead the scoring charts for both Al Nassr and Portugal.

He was recently out with an injury, and fans missed seeing him on the scoresheet. But the return was classic Ronaldo. He came back and struck a brace against Al Najma, helping Al Nassr stay at the top of the table.

However, a fresh controversy has popped up. Platforms like Transfermarkt and Sofascore have removed six goals from his total tally. Here is why.

Confusion has taken centre stage among millions of Cristiano Ronaldo fans after reports suggested that statistics platforms have excluded his performances from the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup.

The move has reduced Ronaldo’s overall goal tally from 967 to 961 on some platforms, raising questions as the Portuguese star continues his chase towards the historic 1,000 goal mark. Depending on the count, he is now either 33 goals away or 39 goals away from the milestone.

The reason comes down to how competitions are classified. The 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA), is not officially recognised by FIFA as a major international or continental tournament. Because of this, some databases choose to exclude goals scored in the competition and only count those from FIFA recognised tournaments.

Ronaldo had a strong run in that tournament, scoring six goals and finishing as the top scorer as Al Nassr lifted the title with a 2-1 win over Al Hilal. Those six goals are now being excluded by certain platforms, leading to a drop in his tally.

As of April 2026, platforms like Sofascore list Ronaldo’s career goals at 961 after removing those strikes. On Transfermarkt, his total club goals stand at 818 and his international goals at 143, taking the combined tally to 961, as seen in the image above.

However, ESPN’s Ronaldo tracker still counts those goals, keeping his tally at 967. There is no official confirmation regarding this, and fans continue to debate it online.

With the Saudi Pro League season entering its final stretch and the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, Ronaldo still has enough games ahead to move closer to the 1,000 goal mark, regardless of how different platforms count his numbers.

Knowing Ronaldo, he won’t just reach 1,000, he’ll go well beyond it and settle the debate once and for all.