In the world of football, goal scoring is often what captures the hearts and minds of fans. It is the art of finding the back of the net, the act of taking a chance and turning it into a goal.
Over the years, the sport has seen its fair share of great goal-scorers, but none have matched the sheer brilliance and longevity of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo’s goal-scoring exploits are truly mind-boggling. At the time of writing, he has scored over 820 goals in his career, including 503 in club competitions, an impressive total that is unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon. His longevity, relentless drive, and remarkable ability to find the back of the net have earned him a place among the all-time greats of the sport.
However, two young guns are trying to catch up to Ronaldo’s record, and they are making their presence felt in the world of football.
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are two of the most exciting young prospects in world football. Mbappe has already scored 36 goals in 66 appearances for France since his debut at the age of 18 and has registered 23 assists during that time for the national team. At the club level, he has scored 210 goals in 345 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain, with 99 assists to his name. Mbappe has done all of this by the age of 24 and is closing in on Olivier Giroud’s record for goals scored for France, with the Paris Saint-Germain star just 18 goals away.
Haaland, meanwhile, has been equally as impressive. The Norwegian has scored 73 goals in just 81 appearances for Borussia Dortmund since joining the club in 2020. He has also registered 20 assists in that time and has become one of the most sought-after talents in world football. He is widely considered to be one of the best young talents in the game today and has been linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
But while Mbappe and Haaland are incredibly talented players, they still have a long way to go if they want to match the achievements of Cristiano Ronaldo. There is a reason why he is widely considered to be one of the greatest footballers of all time and has a career that is almost unparalleled in the sport.
Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or awards and has scored over 800 goals in his career. He has won league titles in England, Spain and Italy, as well as multiple Champions League titles. He has scored over 100 international goals for Portugal and is widely regarded as one of the greatest goal-scorers in the history of the sport.
One of Ronaldo’s most impressive seasons came in 2014 when he scored 61 goals in just 54 games for Real Madrid. He also had 18 assists to his name that season and was instrumental in helping the club win the Champions League title. He scored 17 goals in the competition that year and was named the tournament’s best player.
Another of Ronaldo’s standout seasons came in 2016-17 when he scored 42 goals in just 46 games for Real Madrid. He helped the club win their first La Liga title in five years and was named the competition’s top scorer. He also scored 12 goals in the Champions League that season, helping Real Madrid win the competition for the second consecutive year.
It is clear that Mbappe and Haaland have a long way to go if they want to match Ronaldo’s achievements. But even if they managed to score 25 league goals a season for 20 years (500 goals), it would still not be enough to catch up to Ronaldo’s incredible tally of over 700 goals.
The Portuguese forward is a true legend of the sport and will always be remembered as one of the greatest goal-scorers of all time.
