Real Madrid superstar hails Cristiano Ronaldo as GOAT after Portugal captain reaches 900-goal milestone in win against Croatia
Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as GOAT after he became the only men's footballer to score 900 goals. He reached the milestone against Croatia in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday, September 5.
The 39-year-old came into the international break on the 899-goal mark for club and country. He started against Croatia as Portugal took the lead in the seventh minute through Diogo Dalot. Ronaldo then doubled their lead in the 34th minute, getting on the end of a cross from Nuno Mendes. Diogo Dalot scored an own goal in the 41st minute but A Selecao held on to their lead to win 2-1.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first male footballer to reach the 900-goals milestone. After the game, he posted on Instagram about the match, writing:
"We walked into the Nations League on the right foot! We keep going"
Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. commented a goat emoji on the post. He also reshared the post on his story with multiple goat emojis.
Most of Cristiano Ronaldo's goals came for Real Madrid as he became the club's all-time top scorer in his nine-year stay. He scored 450 goals and provided 131 assists in 438 games for them.
Cristiano Ronaldo on former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric
Portugal's clash against Croatia also saw Cristiano Ronaldo back on the same pitch as Luka Modric. The duo shared the pitch 222 times during their time together are Real Madrid, combining for 16 goals. They have also faced off 10 times on the international level and during Modric's time at Tottenham Hotspur.
Both players are legends of the sport and continue to give their all despite being 39 (Ronaldo) and 38 (Modric). After the game on Thursday, the Portuguese said about the Croat (via Madrid Xtra):
"Luka and I are friends. I'm glad he's still playing. It's wonderful. For me, it's a pleasure to play against him and against Croatia. Both he and I are still in good form, and we'll continue to play."
Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo won numerous trophies together as Real Madrid, including four UEFA Champions League trophies. They also combined for a goal in the Champions League final against Juventus in 2017.
The duo will next be in action on Sunday, September 8 when Portugal host Scotland and Croatia host Poland. A Selecao are currently in second place in the Nations League League A Group 1 table while Croatia are at the bottom.