Cristiano Ronaldo sends 13-word message after becoming first football star to score 900 goals in Portugal win
REUTERS
Cristiano Ronaldo has reacted on social media after becoming the first footballer in history to score 900 goals.
The veteran achieved the feat in Portugal's 2-1 win over Croatia in the Nations League on Thursday night, with the 39-year-old bagging his side's second goal of the game following an opener from former Manchester United team-mate Diogo Dalot.
Ronaldo has scaled dizzying heights throughout his career, etching his name into footballing folklore in the process.
And the Al-Nassr star has now become the first player in the sport's entire history to clock up 900 goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo has sent a message to fans after scoring his 900th career goal in Portugal's 2-1 Nations League win over Croatia
REUTERS
Writing on social media after Portugal's win, Ronaldo said his team would 'keep going' as they look to secure Nations League glory.
"We walked into the Nations League on the right foot! We keep going," he said while sharing a picture of himself celebrating his effort.
Tributes from many of his former team-mates have already started to flood in.
David de Gea's comment, which has been liked over 78,000 times, joked: "Just 900?"
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Vinicius Jr simply commented with a goat emoji, while Marcelo said: "Pride."
MMA star Dillon Danis paid tribute to Ronaldo by saying: "1000 next G."
And Dutch footballer Leandro Fernandes wrote: "900 isn't enough, right?"
Ronaldo was written off as a faded force by some pundits after struggling for Portugal during the European Championships earlier this summer.
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Yet his goal proves he's still capable of making an impact, despite his career drawing to a close.
Ronaldo previously aimed a subtle dig at football icon Pele by saying all of his goals were visible on social media.
Pele claimed to have scored over 1,000 goals during his career but doesn't officially hold the record for the most strikes.
And Ronaldo, speaking on his new YouTube channel, couldn't resist a sly shot at the Brazil icon.
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"I want to reach 1,000 goals," said the former United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Sporting Lisbon star.
"For me it's the best mark that I can have in football, to reach, first 900 goals. After, my challenge is 1,000 goals.
"With one difference, all the goals that I score, they have video. So I can prove that it’s [real]."
Rio Ferdinand, also speaking on the video, then interjected to say: "You’re a b*****d! You’re talking about [Alfredo] Di Stefano, you’re talking about Pele, Eusebio."
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring his 900th career goal in Portugal's win over Croatia
REUTERS
And Ronaldo replied: "Listen, I respect all of them. My goals,[are] all goals.
"And if you want more goals, I can bring [footage] from training too. So no problem, all the goals on video!
"And I will prove to the people after [that I scored them]. [If] they prefer this player, I don’t care about that."