The Ascent, in words
On 6 July 2026, in the 91st minute in Arlington, Texas, Portugal fell 0-1 to Spain
and the sixth and final World Cup of Cristiano Ronaldo ended. This monument climbs his
career as a mountain of seven stations.
- Sporting CP, 2002-2003: 31 appearances, 5 goals, the number 28, sold for a
British-record 12.24 million pounds at eighteen.
- Manchester United, 2003-2009: 292 appearances, 118 goals, three straight Premier
League titles, the 2008 Champions League in Moscow, the first Ballon d'Or.
- Real Madrid, 2009-2018: 450 goals in 438 games, four Champions Leagues including
the only modern three-peat, 44 hat-tricks, four more Ballons d'Or.
- Juventus, 2018-2021: 101 goals in 134 games between ages 33 and 36, two scudetti,
Capocannoniere: the first player to finish top scorer in England, Spain and Italy.
- Manchester United, 2021-2022: 27 more goals at 36 and 37, and goal number 807,
past Josef Bican: the most goals ever scored by a man.
- Al-Nassr, 2023 onward: 129 goals, every one after turning 37; back-to-back Golden
Boots; in May 2026 a first Saudi league title: champion in a fourth country.
- Portugal, 2003-2026: 233 caps and 146 goals, both all-time world records; Euro
2016; two Nations Leagues; the only player ever to score at six World Cups.
At the summit: 976 career goals, the most in the history of football, and the chase
for 1,000 goes on.