MADRID — With his 900th career goal, Cristiano Ronaldo got the best of Luka Modric in the duel of veterans in the Nations League on Thursday (Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, PH time).
The 39-year-old Ronaldo became the first man to reach the 900-goal milestone in official matches for club and country by scoring in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Modric’s Croatia.
“It means a lot,” Ronaldo said. “It was a milestone I wanted to reach for a long time. I knew I would reach this number, because as I continue to play, it would happen naturally.”
Ronaldo and Modric, the former Real Madrid teammates, are nearing the end of their careers but are still going strong with their national teams. Modric will turn 39 on Monday.
Ronaldo found the net in the 34th minute at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon to put Portugal up 2-1. He put his hands to his head and dropped to his knees during the celebration.
It was Ronaldo’s 131st international career goal. / AP