Cristiano Ronaldo stands just 24 goals away from one of football's most extraordinary individual milestones — 1,000 career goals — following Portugal's exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the hands of Spain in the Round of 16.

The 41-year-old confirmed that this tournament was his final World Cup appearance, though he stopped short of announcing a full international retirement. Attention now turns to the Saudi Pro League and whether Ronaldo can reach the landmark 1,000-goal mark within the coming season.

Where Ronaldo stands

Ronaldo currently has 976 career goals across club and country — a staggering tally that places him within touching distance of history. In his most recent season, he scored 33 goals in total, suggesting the milestone is firmly achievable before the campaign ends.

In the Saudi Pro League alone, Ronaldo registered 28 goals in 30 appearances last season, six of which came from the penalty spot. He reached his 24th league goal of that campaign as far back as Round 28, which fell in April. If he maintains a similar scoring rate in the upcoming season, he could realistically reach 1,000 goals by April 2027.

A farewell World Cup to remember

Ronaldo's final World Cup was not without its highlights. He scored three goals in North America, making the 2026 tournament the second-highest scoring World Cup of his career — behind only 2018, when he netted four times.

Among those strikes was a particularly historic one: an equalising penalty against Croatia in the Round of 16 knockout stage — his first ever goal in a World Cup knockout match, ending more than two decades of heartbreak at that stage of the competition.

Portugal ultimately fell to Spain, but Ronaldo's contribution to the tournament underlined that, even at 41, he retains the ability to deliver on football's grandest stage.

Defending Saudi champions

On the club front, Ronaldo heads into the new Saudi Pro League season as a champion for the first time since joining the division. Having missed out on the title in each of his previous Saudi seasons, he now has silverware to defend — and, potentially, a historic personal record to break alongside it.