Why they rank here
The greatest accumulator in the history of the sport, and its most relentless big-stage scorer. Ronaldo passed 900 career goals in September 2024 and has continued adding to a total no player has approached; he owns the Champions League records for goals (140) and titles among modern forwards (5, one with Manchester United and four with Real Madrid, including the 2016-18 three-peat in which he was top scorer every season), and the all-time international record with 135+ goals in 215+ appearances for Portugal, whom he led to Euro 2016 and two Nations League titles (2019, 2025). He won league championships in England, Spain and Italy and the Ballon d'Or five times, finishing second to Messi in the award more often than anyone. The case against him is the case for him inverted: less a creator or orchestrator than a finishing machine of unmatched consistency, whose remade body and self-management extended a world-class peak from age 21 to nearly 40. On durability and output, he has no rival on this list.
Career profile
Each bar shows how this athlete compares with the strongest in our all-time list for that metric.
Head-to-head
Compare career numbers side by side.