Cristiano Ronaldo breaks down in tears during Portugal match after scoring 900th goal of career

Cristiano Ronaldo was visibly overcome with emotion as he bagged his 900th career goal during Portugal's clash with Croatia on Thursday in a poignant milestone for the veteran striker.

The Al-Nassr star fired home just before half-time, driving the Selecao ahead in their UEFA Nations League opening fixture. Former Manchester United team-mate Diogo Dalot had initially given Roberto Martinez's team an edge, but it was Ronaldo's landmark strike that stole the headlines, despite Dalot's own goal which adjusted the half-time score to 2-1.

His latest tally marks Ronaldo's 131st international goal, supplementing the impressive 769 club-level goals he's notched up over his illustrious career. The goal was a redeeming moment following a vexing Euro 2024 campaign wherein he witnessed a penalty saved against Slovenia.

At 39, Ronaldo's precision was unerring as he met Nuno Mendes' cross to slot the ball beyond Croatia's keeper Dominik Livakovic. His subsequent celebration at the corner flag was a blend of joy and tears, surrounded by his teammates' support.

Leading into the match with Croatia, Ronaldo had disclosed to former United colleague Rio Ferdinand his intentions to pursue the 1,000-goal mark, asserting his immediate goal was "Soon I will do 900 and after that it will be 1,000". Queried on the age he expects to achieve this ambition, Ronaldo confidently responded: "41, I don't know. If I don't have injuries, that is most important, I want that. My challenge is to reach 1,000 goals, with one difference all the goals that I score will have video. So I can prove that," reports the Mirror.

Ronaldo, having surpassed Ali Daei's record, has established himself as the all-time leading scorer for international men's goals and is part