Cristiano Ronaldo has pretty much done it all – but 2026/27 could be the season in which he chalks up what would arguably be his greatest achievement.
The Al Nassr star has had the target of 1,000 career goals in his sights for some time, and the three he scored at the World Cup in the summer mean he starts the new campaign tantalisingly perched on 976.
That 24-goal aim seems eminently reachable given that Ronaldo has exceeded that mark in all but one of the past 22 seasons.
The one season he didn't – a disjointed 2022/23 campaign in which he hardly played while out of favour at Manchester United before a January move to Al Nassr – he still managed 23.
Ronaldo wouldn't be the first striker to hit the 1,000-goal mark, but he would be the first to do so when only counting official competitive matches.
The likes of Pele, Romario, Ferenc Puskas and Gerd Muller are all estimated to have ventured into four figures, but that was in an era when exhibitions and unofficial matches were commonplace and statistics weren't as meticulously compiled as they are today.
When the 41-year-old Ronaldo finally hits that 1,000th goal, he will deserve all the plaudits and global media attention that will come his way.
But when is that likely to happen? Below, we try to forecast when and where the historic moment will occur.
When will Ronaldo reach 1,000 career goals?
The veteran striker will get his first chance to chip away at that 24-goal deficit when Al Nassr begin the defence of their SPL title against Al Fateh on Saturday. In fact, a favourable opening month of fixtures could see the prolific forward hit the ground running in pursuit of four figures.
In all, Ronaldo has scored 129 goals in 148 games since joining Nassr. That's a goal every 1.15 games. If he stays fit and continues scoring at the same rate, then he will need 27.5 games to net 24 times.
However, he will also have the opportunity to add to his national team tally across Portugal's six Uefa Nations League games in September, October and November. That is, of course, assuming he is picked by Jorge Jesus, the new Portugal manager. Given that Jesus was previously his manager at Nassr, the omens look pretty good.
Since the start of 2024, Ronaldo has scored 16 goals in 24 games for his country, or a goal every 1.5 games. This is a large enough sample size for this exercise.
That rate would mean a return of four goals from those internationals, leaving 20 for him to get for his club side.
His Nassr scoring rate of a goal every 1.15 games means he would need 23 games to score 20. Nassr's 23rd game of the season, if they get through the semi-final, could end up being the Saudi Super Cup final on December 4.
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Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo poses with the Saudi Pro League trophy after a 4-1 win over Damac saw the Riyadh club crowned champions. EPA -
Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo receives the Saudi Pro League trophy. EPA -
Al Nassr players celebrate with the Saudi Pro League trophy after beating Damac 4-1 at Al Awwal Park. EPA -
Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo looks out to the crowd as his team celebrate their title win. EPA -
Al Nassr forward Kingsley Coman poses with the trophy. EPA -
Cristiano Ronaldo's double helped Al Nassr beat Damac 4-1 and secure the Saudi Pro League title at Al Awwal Park. AFP -
Cristiano Ronaldo fires home Al Nassr's fourth goal. Reuters -
Cristiano Ronaldo scores Al Nassr's third goal from a free-kick. Reuters -
Kingsley Coman, front left, celebrates scoring his Al Nassr's second goal with teammate Mohamed Simakan. Getty Images -
Al Nassr forward Sadio Mane, left, scores his team's first goal. AFP -
Sadio Mane celebrates after scoring to put Al Nassr 1-0 up. Getty Images -
Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo and Jamal Harkass of Damac battle for possession. Reuters -
Al Nassr attacker Sadio Mane celebrates after scoring in the 33rd minute. Getty Images -
Al Nassr manager Jorge Jesus during the match against Damac. AFP -
Al Nassr players pose for a team photo with the shirt of Sultan Al-Ghannam before the match. Reuters -
Nassr fans before the start of the match at the Al Awwal Park in Riyadh. AFP -
Al Nassr fans before the match against Damac. Reuters
Immediately after that, they have an AFC Champions League Elite matchday and then the Riyadh derby against bitter rivals Al Hilal on December 11.
Ronaldo would surely love to have the benchmark wrapped up by December, and better still if it came in the derby. But he would need to be physically and technically perfect for that to happen – it would be a big ask even for a superhuman such as Ronaldo.
Conclusion
At 41, Ronaldo won't play in every game, either because of minor niggles or simply because he will be rested. Al Nassr have the most packed schedule possible this season, with SPL games, eight ACL league-stage matchdays, the King's Cup and the Super Cup. That means plenty of opportunities for Ronaldo to score, but his minutes will inevitably have to be managed.
He has sat out the early rounds of the King's Cup in previous seasons. It's difficult to see him consistently playing twice a week and appearing in all six of Portugal's Nations League games.
Last season, his 24th goal of the campaign for club and country came on February 14 in a 2-0 win at Al Fateh; however, that is slightly misleading as Nassr were not involved in the AFC Champions League Elite.
The season before, when Nassr's schedule was similar to what we will see this term, his 24th goal for club and country arrived in a 3-1 win over Al Khaleej on January 21.
Assuming he remains fit, Ronaldo will have to be on fire to reach the milestone before the Saudi Pro League goes into recess for the 2027 Asian Cup on December 15.
Never bet against him, and his new manager Ange Postecoglu has a reputation for sending his sides out to play attacking football.
However, there's a strong chance that he will be edging into the high 990s at that stage and will resume the hunt when the games return in February.
Nassr are straight back into action that month, with two Champions League matches and home fixtures against Al Riyadh and Al Ettifaq. After that, there's a trip to Al Taawoun, a likely ACL last-16 tie and a home game against Al Ittihad on March 11.
Therefore, fitness permitting, that run of games in February 2027 would seem the most likely time. Once he gets to 999, the 'will he or won't he' speculation will be in full swing, and the football world's attention will fall upon the Riyadh club.
