Ronaldo and Messi are both approaching the 1,000-goal mark, but how long will it take them to achieve this feat?
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both great goalscorers in football history , but they are both approaching retirement age and both are not far from the 1,000-goal mark. How can they reach that milestone?
Who will reach 1000 goals before hanging up their boots?
Messi – 838 goals
Messi is 162 goals away from reaching the 1,000-goal mark. The American football environment seems to be able to help Messi continue to increase his goal tally because the level of opponents is not as great as in Europe.
Messi scored 11 goals in 14 games for Inter Miami in 2023 and in 2024 he has 14 goals in 15 games. At this rate of nearly 1 goal/game, Messi could reach the 1,000 goal mark in about 160 more games in the US if he stays injury-free.
An Inter Miami season can last from a minimum of 40 games to a maximum of 59 games depending on the number of tournaments they play. This includes 34 MLS games and up to 5 playoff games, up to 6 US Open Cup games, up to 7 Leagues Cup games and if they play in the CONCACAF Champions League, they can play up to 7 games.
It could take Messi about four more seasons to score his 1,000th goal.
If he maintains this frequency, Messi can score around 30-40 goals in all competitions each season, even up to 50 if he is “possessed” in some specific matches. Not to mention that Messi is still playing for the Argentina national team, it is unclear whether he will continue until the 2026 World Cup or not, but it can be predicted that Messi will score a few more times for “La Albiceleste”.
So it will take Messi about 4 more seasons to reach the 1000 goal mark, at which time he will be 41 years old. His contract with Inter Miami will end after the 2025 season, so Messi’s decision then will depend on whether he wants to continue the race or not.
Ronaldo – 895 goals
EURO 2024 was considered an opportunity for Ronaldo to reach the 900-goal mark, but instead he failed to score the entire tournament. Now Ronaldo will return to Al Nassr to continue improving his scoring record in Saudi Arabia, although the quality is not as high as European leagues, there are still many good players coming here to compete.
Not far behind Messi, Ronaldo has scored 50 goals in 51 matches in all competitions in the 2023/24 season. At the age of 39, that is an impressive number and to have 105 more goals to reach the 1000 goal mark, Ronaldo needs to maintain that frequency for about the next 2 seasons to complete his goal. Thus, Ronaldo can also reach the 1000 goal mark at the age of 41.
105 more goals and Ronaldo will reach 1000 goals
Each season of Al Nassr can play about 44 – 66 matches, including 34 matches in the Saudi Pro League, 5 matches in the King’s Cup, at least 6 matches and a maximum of 13 matches in the AFC Champions League, at least 3 matches and a maximum of 6 matches in the Arab Club Champions Cup, with a maximum of 2 matches in the Saudi Arabia Super Cup. Of course, with his age, Ronaldo will have some matches not to play to rest and save energy, it is estimated that each season CR7 will play about 45-50 matches.
Ronaldo is also playing for the national team, but after EURO 2024, I’m afraid there will be a positional shift and he will have to accept dropping back more, although he can still be relied on and brought on when the team needs a specialist in scoring in the penalty area. Ronaldo is still capable of scoring against weaker opponents in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers to increase his chances of reaching the 1000 mark.
Unlike Messi, who is generally enjoying himself in the US, Ronaldo is still quite competitive and he knows he is getting close to the 1000 goal mark. CR7 is unlikely to give up, and if he doesn’t continue to score in Saudi Arabia, he may find another opportunity in another tournament.
