Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi chase 1,000-goal milestone

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi continue their pursuit of historic scoring milestones. Ronaldo currently sits at 981 official career goals after scoring for Al Nassr against PFC Neftchi in the AFC Champions League Elite. He requires 19 more goals to reach the 1,000-goal mark, a milestone he describes as an objective rather than an obsession, noting that he finds the media focus on the specific number burdensome.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi recently recorded a brace for Inter Miami in a 3-1 victory against Atlanta United. This performance brought Messi to 936 career goals, leaving him 64 goals short of the 1,000-goal milestone. Messi’s recent goals also placed him at the top of the MLS 2026 regular season scoring charts with 25 goals.