Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has hailed superstar Ronaldo as the “sharpest striker” in football history, after the Portugal captain scored 900 career goals for both club and country earlier this week.
In the European Selecao’s 2-1 win over visiting Croatia in Lisbon in the opening match of the UEFA Nations League, superstar Ronaldo , 39, ended a five-game goalless streak for his national team to make history , becoming the first player to score 900 goals.
After a rare goalless Euro 2024 – where Portugal were knocked out by France in the quarter-finals – Ronaldo has returned to scoring form, continuing his impressive start to the season. Commenting on Ronaldo’s “clockwork” goalscoring, Keane told ITV Sport: “That (not scoring at the Euros) is probably a concern, but he’s scored 900 goals. If you put the ball in the right place, he’s still the best striker in the world .”
The goalless campaign in Germany marked the first time in 11 major tournaments (FIFA World Cup, Euro) that the Portuguese forward has failed to find the net. However, superstar Ronaldo holds the record of 14 goals at Euros and 8 goals at World Cups.
Roy Keane once played with Ronaldo and commented that the Portuguese striker is the best in football history . Photo: GETTY.
Ronaldo recently revealed to his former Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand on his newly launched YouTube channel ‘UR Cristiano’ that he wants to reach the incredible milestone of 1,000 career goals. The superstar Ronaldo hopes to avoid injuries, and the records will come to him. Ronaldo, who played six seasons with former centre-back Rio Ferdinand at Manchester United in the 2000s, told his former team-mate on UR Cristiano: “I want to reach 1,000 goals. If I don’t get injured, that, for me, is the most important thing.”
On his ambition to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, the former Manchester United striker said he was proud to have won the Euros, which he considered “equivalent” to winning the World Cup: “Winning the Euros for Portugal is like winning the World Cup. I have won two titles with Portugal that I really wanted. I am not motivated by that anymore. My motivation is the joy of playing football and the records will come.”
Ronaldo has scored in all four games for Al Nassr this season, having had an underwhelming 2022 World Cup. He managed just one goal in five games as Fernando Santos’ side were beaten 1-0 by Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Superstar Ronaldo scored his 900th career goal. Photo: GETTY.
France Football magazine has recently announced a list of 30 candidates for the Ballon d’Or award. For the first time since 2003, superstar Ronaldo (and Lionel Messi) are not among them. The award is given to the best player based on their statistics and achievements for their club and national team over a 12-month period.
Both superstars Ronaldo and Messi play in the Saudi Pro League and Major League Soccer (MLS), making them contenders for this season’s award. Although Ronaldo broke the scoring record for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, that was not enough to make the 30-man shortlist.
The event marks the end of a legendary era that began in 2008 when Cristiano won his first Ballon d’Or and is gradually coming to a close as two football legends approach the end of their careers.
