Cristiano Ronaldo is the top goal scorer in history of international football with 143 goals to his name in 226 matches.
Key Points
- Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time leading scorer in international football.
- He is the first men's player to score in five different World Cups.
- Ronaldo is the most followed person on Instagram with more than 670 million followers.
Footballing great Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his 41st birthday on February 5, 2026.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star, now playing in Saudi Arabia, regards himself as 'I am the greatest scorer in history'.
"Although I am not left-footed, I am in the top 10 in history for goals scored with the left foot. These are numbers, I am the most complete player who has ever existed," he said in an interview with Spanish television channel La Sexta in February last year.
"I play well with my head, I take good free kicks, I am fast, I am strong, I jump... I have never seen anyone better than me."
Cristiano Ronaldo Age: Full Career Timeline So Far
Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985 in Funchal, Madeira.
His full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. His father named him Ronaldo after Ronald Reagan, former US President and a former Hollwyood actor.
Aged 15, he underwent heart surgery due to a rare condition called tachycardia but was back to playing football a few days later.
MANCHESTER UNITED (2003-09)
As a child, Ronaldo played for Andorinha from 1992 to 1995 before representing the youth team at Nacional. He was signed up by Sporting CP in 2002.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson signs the 18-year-old for 12.24 million pounds ($14.80 million) in August 2003.
In 2006-07, United win the title and Ronaldo is named England's Footballer of the Year.
Celebrates League and Champions League double in the 2007-08 season, finishing as Europe's top scorer with 42 goals.
Caps 2008 season by winning the Ballon d'Or.
In 2008-09, helps United to the Premier League title and League Cup.
Scores 118 goals in 291 appearances for United.
REAL MADRID (2009-18)
Signs for 80 million pounds Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009, a world record fee at the time.
Scores 46 goals in the 2011-12 LaLiga season as Real win the title.
Scores a record 17 goals in the Champions League in 2013-14 as Real secure a 10th European title.
Scores the decisive spot kick in penalty shootout against Atletico to give Real their 11th Champions League title in 2016.
Wins the Ballon d'Or in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Finishes as Real Madrid's all-time top scorer with 451 goals.
JUVENTUS (2018-21)
Signs for the Turin club in July 2018 for a reported fee of 100 million euros, the highest ever for a player over 30.
Scores 21 goals as Juventus win their eighth consecutive Scudetto, thereby becoming the first player to win league titles in England, Spain and Italy.
Comes in third place for the 2019 Best FIFA Men's Player Award, behind Lionel Messi and Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk.
Nets 31 times to finish as the second-highest goalscorer in the 2019-20 Serie A season as Juventus again win the title.
Wins the Serie A golden boot for 2020-21 with 29 goals but the Italian giants fail to win the league, finishing fourth.
Finishes with 101 goals in 134 games across all competitions.
MANCHESTER UNITED (2021-22)
Re-signs for the Premier League club in August 2021 for a fee of 15 million euros plus eight million euros in performance-related add-ons.
Becomes the first player to score in five consecutive Champions League matches in a single season for an English club.
Reaches 807 goals to become top scorer in professional football history
Manchester United get knocked out by Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 in the Champions League and finish sixth in Premier League.
Nets 18 times to become the third-highest Premier League goalscorer.
Scores 24 goals across all competitions to become the team's top scorer for the season.
Wins the Manchester United Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award.
Ends the season trophyless for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.
AL NASSR (2023)
Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on a 2-1/2 year contract in December 2023, after leaving Manchester United to become a free agent.
He joined Al Nassr in a deal worth more than 200 million euros ($214.04 million) -- the biggest salary in football history.
PORTUGAL CAREER
Makes Portugal debut in August 2003.
Helps side to runners-up spot at Euro 2004.
Portugal are eliminated from the 2010 World Cup by Spain in the last 16.
Portugal go out in the group stage at the 2014 World Cup with Ronaldo clearly struggling with injury.
In 2016, helps Portugal win their first European title as they beat France 1-0 in the final.
Captains Portugal to victory over the Netherlands in the 2018-19 Nations League final.
Scores against France at Euro 2020, equalling former Iran captain Ali Daei's international record of 109 goals.
Wins the Euro 2020 Golden Boot with five goals and one assist.
In September 2021 surpasses Daei's record after scoring twice against Ireland in the World Cup qualifiers.
Played his fifth World Cup with Portugal at Qatar 2022
Becomes the first player to score in five World Cups after netting a penalty against Ghana in a Group H match.
Portugal get knocked out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals by Morocco.
Cristiano Ronaldo Stats: Key Numbers From His Club and International Career
The Portugal forward, who has scored over 950 goals for club and country, made his debut as a teenager at Sporting in 2002.
The 40-year-old Portuguese is targeting this year's World Cup, the only major title missing from his trophy cabinet.
Ronaldo confirmed the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be his swansong on football's biggest stage.
Cristiano Ronaldo Birthday Special: Records That Define His Legacy
Ronaldo is the top goal scorer in history of international football with 143 goals to his name in 226 matches, including eight goals in five editions of FIFA World Cups in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.
He holds the records for most goals (140) and assists (42) in the UEFA Champions League.
At the club level, Ronaldo is the only player to have scored 100 goals with four different teams.
He has played 1305 professional games, scoring an overall 961 goals for club and country -- most by any football player.
Ronaldo's tally includes 818 goals for clubs including Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Al-Nassr.
Cristiano Ronaldo Stats and Achievements: Major Trophies List
Ronaldo enjoyed a record-breaking career at Spanish giants Real Madrid from 2009-18 where he won two LaLiga titles, two Spanish Cups, four Champions League titles and three Club World Cups.
He went on to score a club record 451 times for Real Madrid.
He claimed two Serie A titles and a Copa Italia trophy in three years at Juventus before rejoining United with whom he had bagged three Premier League crowns, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the Champions League and Club World Cup.
Ronaldo became the first player to score in five World Cups after netting a penalty in his Portugal's opening Group H game against Ghana in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Cristiano Ronaldo Net Worth: Salary, Endorsements and Business Ventures
Ronaldo is the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which valued the Portugal great's net worth at an estimated $1.4 billion in October 2025.
The 40-year-old striker's financial ascent took a big jump after he signed a new contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400 million last year.
Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than $550 million in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18 million annually, and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175 million to his fortune.
Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in 2023 had already made him the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual salary of 177 million pounds ($237.52 million), plus bonuses and a reported 15% share in his Saudi Arabia club.
Ronaldo's billionaire status places him among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer.
Cristiano Ronaldo Birthday Reactions From Fans and Football Legends
'Cristiano was the most gifted player I managed… He surpassed all the other great ones I coached at United. He's just something else': Sir Alex Ferguson
'When Cristiano Ronaldo gets the ball, you can just leave him to it while he beats player after player': Ryan Giggs
'He is the best. The best in the world, yes. Probably the best ever… Cristiano is amazing. This man is the best… Cristiano is a goals machine': Jose Mourinho
AWARDS
Ronaldo has won the prestigious Ballon D’Or, run by French magazine France Football and awarded to the world’s best player annually, five times and finished as runner-up five times.
He has been named the UEFA Men's Player of the Year three times, while winning four European Golden Shoes.
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