Cristiano Ronaldo at 40: What Still Sets Him Apart From Everyone Else

At 40, Cristiano Ronaldo is supposed to be a memory—an archive of highlights, trophies, and debates. Instead, he’s still a headline. Still scoring. Still dragging teams forward. Still bending time in a sport that rarely forgives age. As Ronaldo inches closer to the unthinkable 1,000-goal mark, the question isn’t whether he belongs among football’s greats—but why he refuses to leave the present tense.

What did Ronaldo achieve most recently?

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in Al-Nassr’s 3–0 win over Al Akhdoud on December 27, taking his official career tally to 956 goals. His second strike was also his 40th goal of 2025, making him the first footballer in history to score 40+ goals in 14 different calendar years.

How close is he to the 1,000-goal milestone?

Ronaldo is now 44 goals away from 1,000 official goals—an achievement no modern-era player has reached. At his current scoring rate, the milestone is no longer fantasy; it’s a matter of time and fitness.

Is this a late-career spike or sustained excellence?

It’s sustained. Ronaldo scored 54 goals in 2023, 43 in 2024, and has already hit 40 in 2025. His consistency across three seasons past the age of 38 places him in uncharted territory.

How is Al-Nassr benefiting from Ronaldo’s form?

Al-Nassr sit top of the Saudi Pro League with 30 points from 10 matches. Ronaldo has 12 league goals this season and has scored 112 goals in 125 appearances since joining the club in 2023. The team has conceded just five goals—suggesting Ronaldo’s impact extends beyond scoring to leadership and control.

What has he achieved internationally at 40?

Ronaldo became the oldest scorer in UEFA Nations League history during the 2025 tournament, where he netted eight goals in nine games and scored the equaliser in the final against Spain—helping Portugal lift the title.

How does his trophy cabinet compare historically?

Ronaldo has won 34 senior trophies, including five Champions League titles, league titles in England, Spain, and Italy, and three major international honours with Portugal. Few players have conquered as many leagues—or remained decisive across them.

What makes his Champions League record untouchable?

Ronaldo is the Champions League’s all-time top scorer with 140 goals in 183 appearances. At Real Madrid alone, he scored 105 goals in 101 matches, redefining what dominance looks like on Europe’s biggest stage.

How does he stack up against Lionel Messi?

Ronaldo leads Messi 956 to 896 in official goals but has played more matches. Messi has a better goals-per-game ratio and more Ballon d’Ors (8 to Ronaldo’s 5). The numbers underline what the debate has always been about: contrast, not clarity.

Where does Ronaldo stand among football’s all-time scorers?

He is the highest-scoring active footballer in history. Unlike past legends, every Ronaldo goal is video-documented, eliminating debates over unofficial tallies that cloud comparisons with players like Pelé or Josef Bican. Ronaldo at 40 is no longer chasing legacy. He’s defending relevance. While football keeps inventing younger stars, Ronaldo keeps solving the same old problem: how to score goals, relentlessly, year after year. And until he stops, the conversation stays open.

(yMedia is the content partner for this story)