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Time line of Ronaldo’s landmark goals as he reaches 801 strikes

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Cristiano Ronaldo reached yet another historic landmark Thursday evening after scoring the 800th goal of his professional career against Arsenal.

The milestone was reached with the simplest of finishes – Marcus Rashford played the ball into the feet of the Portuguese great who swept home right-footed from 10 yards out. 

To celebrate the 36-year-old’s sensational achievement, we look back at seven of his other landmark strikes from over the years.

Goal 100: Manchester United 3-1 Tottenham (FA Cup)

Ronaldo hit the 100 mark during his initial stint with Manchester United, with the milestone being reached in an FA Cup clash with Tottenham in January 2008.

The Portuguese star, only 22 at the time, scored twice in the game — his low drive in the dying minutes securing a 3-1 win for the Red Devils and also bringing up his personal century.

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Goal 200: Real Madrid 2-0 Valencia (LaLiga)

It was 200 up for Ronaldo in December 2010, by which point he was becoming accustomed to grabbing headlines and re-writing history books as Real Madrid’s talismanic No7.

A low drive against Valencia sealed a double century of career strikes, achieved in a campaign where he would go on to beat Lionel Messi to be crowned LaLiga’s top scorer with a 40-goal haul.

Goal 300: Granada 1-2 Real Madrid (LaLiga)

It took less than 18 months for Ronaldo to add another 100 strikes onto his tally, blasting home a penalty against Granada in May 2012 as Los Blancos stormed to one of their most emphatic LaLiga triumphs ever.

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He and Barcelona rival Lionel Messi would notch 96 league goals between them in that campaign — two of the greatest ever players truly at the peak of their powers.

Goal 400: Real Madrid 3-0 Celta Vigo (LaLiga)

The midway point of the megastar’s current astonishing tally, Ronaldo scored his 400th career goal in a comfortable 3-0 victory for Real Madrid against Celta Vigo in January 2014.

With the game still hanging in the balance at 1-0, the Portuguese made sure of Madrid’s victory in the 82nd minute before adding a third in injury time to claim his latest landmark strike.

Goal 500: Malmo 0-2 Real Madrid (Champions League)

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As the Champions League’s all-time top scorer, it is no surprise that Ronaldo’s 500th career goal came in Europe’s elite competition.

In a group stage match against Swedish minnows Malmo in September 2015, CR7 was afforded acres of space to rifle home in typical fashion before going on to wrap up a comfortable win with his 501st goal for good measure. 

Goal 600: Real Madrid 4-1 Juventus (Champions League)

Fittingly, Ronaldo’s 600th goal came on one of the grandest stages of all — the 2017 Champions League final.

Ghosting in at the front post to convert a low cross and put Real Madrid 3-1 up his against future employers Juventus, an eventual 4-1 win earned the legendary forward a fourth European crown of his career.

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Goal 700: Ukraine 2-1 Portugal, Euro 2020 qualifier

If the 600th came in a memorable game, Ronaldo’s 700th arrived in slightly less glamorous circumstances — though he did at least notch it in national colours.

Though the Portugal skipper’s penalty could not prevent the Selecao losing in Ukraine, they would eventually go on to qualify for Euro 2020 — a tournament where Ronaldo finished top scorer.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Ronaldo reaches one billion followers on social media

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Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo crossed one billion followers across his social media accounts, aided by his newly-launched YouTube channel that has attracted more than 60 million subscribers in just over three weeks.

Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal last week to help Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League, is the first human being to reach a billion followers on social media, global media reports said.

“We’ve made history, one billion followers! This is more than just a number, it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” Ronaldo posted on X.

“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey… thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life.”

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The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player reached the milestone with over 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook and 113 million on X.

The 39-year-old topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes this year, with off-field earnings of $60 million, boosted by his large social media following.

Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr will host Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.

-Reuters

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Over a million subscribe as Ronaldo launches YouTube channel

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Euro 2024 - Quarter Final - Portugal v France - Hamburg Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany - July 5, 2024 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo after taking a penalty during the penalty shootout REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File photo

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on Wednesday and hundreds of thousands of subscribers signed up within a couple of hours.

The 39-year-old five-times Ballon D’Or winner plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.

“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.

A couple of hours after posting his first video, 1.69M subscribers had joined he channel.

Ronaldo has 112.5 million followers on the X platform, 170 million on Facebook and 636 million on Instagram.

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The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player is preparing for his team’s Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Raed on Thursday.

-Reuters

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Lionel Messi set to hang boots

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Messi Sets Record Straight Over Hong Kong Absence -

Inter Miami will be the last club Argentina captain Lionel Messi plays for, the 36-year-old forward said on Wednesday, adding he feels “a little bit scared” at the thought of the day he decides to retire.

Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, has a contract with the Major League Soccer side until 2025 following his arrival last summer after a spell with French champions Paris St Germain.

“Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left,” Messi told ESPN.

“I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches… And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is preparing with his national team to defend their Copa America title, with the tournament kicking off on June 20 in the United States.

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Argentina will take on Canada in the opening match before facing Group A rivals Chile on June 25 and Peru four days later.

-Reuters

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