Cristiano Ronaldo: AI predicts when legendary forward will score his 1,000th goal

Cristiano Ronaldo has found the back of the net on 979 times for club and country, so he is 21 short of the 1,000-goal mark that he is so desperate to reach before the end of his career.

The 41-year-old has scored three times in seven appearances for Al-Nassr this season, with three of those goals coming in six outings in the Saudi Pro League.

Ronaldo has also played once for Portugal this term - the UEFA Nations League clash with Wales on September 24, but he was then an unused substitute against Norway at the end of last month, before leaving the international camp ahead of the game with Denmark.

As it stands, it is unclear if Ronaldo will represent Portugal again. Naturally, his absence from international football would give him less chance of reaching the 1,000-goal mark, especially as he could retire altogether at the end of the 2026-27 campaign, when his Al-Nassr deal expires.

Sports Mole asked AI to predict when Ronaldo would reach 1,000 goals, and it is estimated that the legendary forward could reach that milestone in April 2027.

AI predicts April 2027 for Ronaldo to reach 1,000 goals

In the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo is currently scoring 0.50 goals per match, but his overall record this season is 0.38 goals per appearance, and if that continues, then Ronaldo may not have the opportunity to reach 1,000 goals before the end of the campaign.

Al-Nassr have upcoming matches against Al Diriyah, Al-Ahli, Neom SC, Al-Faysaly, Al Kholood and Al Hazem in the Saudi Pro League.

AI has predicted that Ronaldo's goals per appearance could rise to 0.50 or 0.60 in the coming weeks based on the strength of the opponents.

However, there is a variable to be considered, as it remains to be seen whether Ronaldo will be back in the international fold by the time that November rolls around.

Portugal will face Denmark and Wales in November - their final two matches in the group stage of the 2026-27 Nations League; Jorge Jesus' side have already advanced to the quarter-finals, so there will be more matches in the competition in 2027.

Ronaldo's Portugal future is in severe doubt

Should Ronaldo return to the fold, he would have more opportunities to reach the 1,000-goal mark sooner, but it remains to be seen whether that is the case.

Portugal head coach Jesus has opened the door for Ronaldo to return.

"If he wants to, he'll return to the national team. We can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who's going to decide," said the head coach.

"Cristiano should end his time in the national team the way he wants, he's the one who will decide how he wants it. In my first call-up, I said, 'I need you, I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you'. And now I'm saying the same thing."

There have been suggestions that Ronaldo could return for a farewell appearance, potentially against Denmark on home soil in the middle of November.

Could Ronaldo reach 1,000 goals in March?

AI would move their prediction forward by 'several weeks' if Ronaldo returns to Portugal and is involved in most of their upcoming games.

However, if he maintains his current rate this season of 0.38 goals per game and does not return for Portugal, then he may not reach the milestone before the end of the season.

The forward scored 50 times in his first full season for Al-Nassr, 35 in his second and 30 in his third, but his scoring rate at the start of 2026-27 has slowed.

Ronaldo has scored 833 club goals during his career, with 450 of those coming for Real Madrid, while he struck 145 during two spells at Manchester United, 101 for Juventus, 132 for current side Al-Nassr and five for first club Sporting Lisbon.

The forward has 146 goals for Portugal, meanwhile, placing him comfortably at the top of the all-time international list, some 21 goals ahead of Argentina's Lionel Messi.