Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player in football history to reach 900 goals after a superb finish put Portugal ahead of Croatia 2-0.

 

What appeared to be a classic Ronaldo goal, the icon creeping in at the back post to touch in a brilliant cross from the left, turned out to be a historic occasion, with the 39-year-old passing the great landmark while wearing his national shirt.

Rafael Leao dived deep on the left side to gather the ball while the former Real Madrid player waited in the box beside Bruno Fernandes.

The AC Milan player then delivered a pinpoint delivery that begged to be poked home, and ‘CR7’ obliged, wheeling away in delight, probably aware of what he had just accomplished.

Portugal eventually triumphed 2-1 after Croatia equalised through an own goal by Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot, but this Nations League match will be remembered for yet another momentous moment supplied by the Portuguese icon.

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Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first player in football history to score 900 goals

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He scored the majority of his huge total for Real Madrid where he bagged 450 goals

Ronaldo took just over five years to reach 100 goals, scoring against Tottenham on January 27, 2008 from the penalty spot.

Seven years later, on September 30, 2015, the forward scored against Malmo in the Champions League group stage, taking him above 500 finishes.

Incredibly, it took him less than nine years to finish the remaining 400 strikes and become the first man to reach 90% of his goal of 1000.

The only other player to pass 800 is Lionel Messi, who has 838 for club and country.

The statistics underlying Ronaldo’s unparalleled record are staggering, with the Portuguese superstar scoring goals wherever he has gone in his long career.

Surprisingly, the forward has scored 130 goals for his national team alone, his first coming in a 2-1 loss to Greece in the Euro 2004 group stages.