Lisbon: Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 900th goal of his remarkable career as Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in Lisbon in their first game of the UEFA Nations League.
He appeared emotional as he celebrated the goal, his 131st in a Portugal shirt. Half of his goals were scored for Real Madrid, with the remainder spread across his spells at Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United and current club Al-Nassr.
Diogo Dalot's goal had put Portugal in front early on before Ronaldo netted, with a Dalot own-goal reducing the deficit before the break.
Nuno Mendes put up a perfect cross, which Ronaldo connected with from close range to fire the ball past Croatian goalkeeper Livakovic. The 39-year-old's goal also helped Portugal to double their lead and win the match.
Ronaldo was criticised by football pundits after his disappointing performance in the recently concluded EURO Cup, where he failed to score a single goal after playing five matches in the tournament.
Ronaldo's remarkable career started with Sporting CP, with whom he scored four goals after playing 28 matches. In 2003, legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson brought him to England. He spent six years at the Manchester-based club and scored 145 goals.
The Portugal skipper's career took a major turn when he joined Real Madrid in 2009. Ronaldo served as a goalscoring machine with the Los Blancos and won major trophies with them, like four UEFA Champions League, three FIFA Club World Cup, two La Liga, and many more.
Ronaldo scored 450 goals during his nine-year tenure with Real Madrid and also achieved the landmark of Los Blancos' highest goalscorer.
He joined Turin-based club Juventus in 2018 and scored 101 goals for them. After spending four years with Juventus, Ronaldo made a return to his boyhood club Manchester United and spent two years in the Premier League before moving to Al Nassr.
He scored 29 goals during his second term with the Red Devils.
Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in 2022 and has played 74 matches as of now, in which he has scored 68 goals for his current club.
In the ongoing Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo has played two matches and scored two goals with Al Nassr. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has scored 131 goals for his national football team.
He is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time. In his glittering career, he has achieved every major trophy apart from the FIFA World Cup. Even after reaching the 39-year age mark, the Portuguese star is still contributing to his club and national team.
With inputs from AFP/ANI
