Cristiano Ronaldo scores 981st career goal: Can he reach the 1,000-goal mark before 2027?
Cristiano Ronaldo keeps scoring, and the 1,000-goal mark seems more reachable than ever. However, after netting the 981st goal of his career, many are wondering whether he could reach that historic milestone before 2027.
On Matchday 2 of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite, Cristiano Ronaldo scored Al Nassr‘s second goal against Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana—marking the 981st goal of his career.
He is now just 19 goals away from the 1,000-goal threshold, and at his current pace, he could potentially reach the milestone before the new year begins.
Road to 1,000 goals: Mathematical breakdown for Cristiano Ronaldo
A total of 19 goals is all that Cristiano Ronaldo needs to hit 1,000 career goals. Fortunately, he has plenty of fixtures remaining before the year ends to try to reach that mark by December.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr.
Al Nassr has 15 matches remaining on their schedule this year. Combined with international duty for Portugal—where he is set to return in November—he will have two additional games to build on his tally.
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If everything goes as expected, he will have 17 matches available. While he may not feature in every single one, assuming full availability, he would need to score at least a brace in two matches and a single goal in the remaining 15 to hit the 1,000-goal mark before the new year.
Obviously, scoring 19 goals in 17 games would require a monumental effort from Ronaldo. However, even if he falls short, he will still have the first half of 2027 during the remainder of the season to reach and surpass the milestone.
Recent history is not on his side
During the 2025–26 season, Cristiano Ronaldo averaged 0.82 goals per match, a figure well below the scoring rate required to reach the 1,000-goal mark before 2026 concludes.
Nevertheless, his main objective will be to close the gap as much as possible before 2027, reducing the pressure as he enters the second half of the campaign.
