WATCH: Cristiano Ronaldo's emotional reaction after scoring 900th career goal goes viral online
Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo could not hold back his emotions after he became the first player in the sport's history to bag 900 professional goals. Ronaldo's 34th-minute strike for Portugal in their UEFA Nations League opener against Croatia doubled his country's lead and etched his name in the history books forever.
You can watch Ronaldo's goal and his emotional celebrations here:
The Al-Nassr forward got on the end of a delicious cross from Paris Saint Germain full-back Nuno Mendes and provided the necessary finish to slot the ball past Fenerbahce goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.
Portugal had opened the scoring through Diogo Dalot in the seventh minute and Ronaldo's strike doubled their lead. The 39-year-old forward was understandably emotional after reaching the incredible milestone and knelt to the ground during his celebration.
The goal also extends Ronaldo's lead at the top of the men's international goal-scoring charts; he has now scored 131 goals for Portugal.
When Roberto Martinez hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as "incredible" ahead of EURO 2024
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez was full of praise for Cristiano Ronaldo after he scored a brace in the country's friendly encounter against Ireland ahead of Euro 2024 earlier this summer.
Speaking to the press after the game, the Spaniard said (via GOAL):
"Cristiano's commitment as captain is incredible. Today we saw two world-class finishes, but what I liked was the work and trying to assist. He has two goals, he's in the box and the The first option is to watch, it shows solidarity, companionship and important values in a locker room. I really liked that. The finishes are something to keep and show to the children, because they are incredible."
Ronaldo had a disappointing Euro 2024, where he took 23 shots but failed to find the back of the net as Portugal crashed out in the quarterfinals against France. However, he has started the 2024-25 season in incredible fashion, scoring four goals in four appearances for Al-Nassr and reaching 900 career goals with his strike against Croatia.