“You want to let it in, don’t you?” - Cristiano Ronaldo’s former coach shares why rival goalkeepers would want to let his 1000th goal into their net

Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen reckons goalkeepers could be willing to concede Cristiano Ronaldo's landmark 1000th career goal if the opportunity arises.

Ronaldo, 40, is widely regarded as one of the finest ever to grace the game, having netted a remarkable 945 times for club and country, which is 63 better than his nearest challenger, arch-rival Lionel Messi.

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo spent successful spells at United, Real Madrid and Juventus before arriving at his current side nearly three years ago. Recently, he made history with his 100th goal for Al-Nassr, becoming the first to net that many for four different clubs.

At his current scoring rate, Ronaldo is expected to score his 1000th goal sometime in 2027. Meulensteen reckons the Portuguese would be remembered for that and any goalkeeper could be willing to enter the history books by 'allowing' Ronaldo's landmark strike.

“He will be remembered for 1,000 goals, but if it is done in a spectacular manner, if it would be done for Portugal, if you would have had a choice, then probably you would say, yeah, let's do it for Portugal," Meulensteen told betVICTOR (via GOAL):.

“The world will be watching, telling you. Can you imagine being the goalkeeper? You want to let it in, don't you? Because you're going to be remembered as the goalkeeper that let Cristiano's 1,000th goal in.”

Ronaldo scored his 100th Al-Nassr goal in August, in a Supercup final defeat on penalties to Al-Ahli, giving his team the lead on the cusp of half-time.

Break-up of Cristiano Ronaldo's career goals

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored nearly 950 goals during his illustrious career spanning more than two decades. Since breaking out as a precocious teenager at Sporting CP in the early 2000s, he has gone on to play for some of the top club teams in the world.

Nearly half of Ronaldo's career goal tally - 450 - have come during his hugely successful nine-season stint at Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018. The Portuguese has also scored 145 times across two different spells for Manchester United.

In a three-season spell with Juventus between 2018 and 2021, the Portugal captain netted 101 times. Ronaldo has scored 103 goals for his current side, Al-Nassr, and is international men's football's leading scorer with 141 strikes. His other career strikes - five - came with his boyhood club Sporting CP.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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