Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 700th club career goal in Manchester United‘s 2-1 win over Everton on Sunday night, making him the first player to ever do so.
This is just one of many other goalscoring records CR7 has to his name over a 20-year playing career and while Erling Haaland might be the biggest goal machine in Manchester right now – or anywhere for that matter – Ronaldo’s longevity is rather incredible.
First up, let’s deal with his most recent landmark: 700 club goals.
Ronaldo started out his career at Sporting Lisbon, netting just five before being snapped up by Man United the first time around where he went on to score 84 goals.
Then came Real Madrid, where he etched himself into history with a whopping 292 goals in 311 games. He spent nearly a decade in the Spanish capital before moving to Juventus, where he scored 81 goals in just under a century of appearances.
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After returning to Old Trafford last year, he scored his 144th goal for United over two spells on Sunday. This is how he did it:
The Ronaldo vs Messi debate is one that will never be settled but while many may feel the latter is the more gifted footballer overall, you can’t argue with numbers and 140 goals to Messi’s 127 in the Champions League is a gap we don’t see being closed any time soon.
We certainly don’t expect anybody to score a better one than this:
OH. MY. WORD! 😱
Cristiano Ronaldo with an outrageous overhead kick!
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 3, 2018
Most international goals
Doing it in the big European games is one thing but there is no bigger stage than representing your country at an international tournament and Ronaldo has been Portugal’s hero and top goalscorer for years.
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He became their leading goalscorer all the way back in 2014 before going on to break Ferenc Puskás’ European record of 84 national-team goals at the 2018 World Cup. He now sits on 117 goals for his country, the most of any male player — no matter how many time Pele tries to move the goalposts.
Here’s just 10 of them:
Cristiano Ronaldo is Portugal’s all-time top scorer with 99 goals to date 🇵🇹
It seems there is no number too big for the Portuguese star and even at 37, he is still scoring goals at the highest level and he hit the professional pinnacle not long after returning to United last season.
On 12 March, 2021, Ronaldo broke Joseph Bican’s record nearly 70-year-old record of 805 competitive goals with a hattrick against Spurs that very much rolled back the years and stamped his name even deeper into the history books.
With the veteran now off the mark for the Premier League season, we expect there’ll be more to come. No matter his age, how many minutes he gets or well he plays, Cristiano Ronaldo scoring goals is just a fact of life.
There will inevitably come a time when someone will take his goalscoring crown — and we have a feeling it might a certain blonde-haired individual across the other side of Manchester — but on this, it feels like Messi will always come second to Ronaldo as the greatest goalscorer of all-time
While this new venture is focused on youth football, it’s their second in the United States after New York City FC and could help create new pro pathways into the sport at a grassroots level.
Introducing CFG franchise number 13: Man City North Texas FC.
As per an official statement on their website, “Man City North Texas FC delivers youth soccer programs for boys and girls aged 8–19, led by Manchester City coaches and built on the same coaching methodology developed within the Club.
“Every session is designed to help players become better soccer players, technically, tactically, and mentally, through modern, enjoyable training that builds confidence on and off the pitch.”
Basically serving as another academy setup across the pond, North Texas FC will no doubt help not only develop and create opportunities for aspiring young footballers over in the US, but likely serve as yet another feeder programme/outlet for tapping up the latest American talents.
We’ve already seen fairly recently examples such as ex-players Jack Harrison and Zack Steffen coming through the likes of New York and remaining on City’s wider books and either making the move over for a taste of first-team football or being loaned out to other teams.
Even if they ultimately go on to be sold, the aim is to help nurture youngsters and promise three main takeaways: an “authentic Manchester City methodology”, delivered by actual MCFC coaches, and a clear development pathway.
CITYCOACH gives coaches around the world access to the Manchester City methodology – sharing the knowledge, practices, and philosophy that shape how we develop players at every level ⚽️
This most recent ‘youth soccer club’ is just the latest in a long line of fresh Manchester City Football Programs created over the past decade or so, with coaching now being provided to children of all ages across a total of 38 cities in 14 countries.
At present, more than 40,000 kids are estimated to participate in these schemes every year, and thanks to Man City North Texas FC, that number is set to climb even further.
So, if you or someone you know happens to be based in or near the ‘Mean Green’ sporting hub of the ‘Lone Star State’, you can register interest HERE.
Meanwhile, in news closer to home, there are plenty of other big developments happening over at the Etihad Campus. Find out more down below.
The Premier League is keeping its crucial cap on away game ticket prices – for now
Danny Jones
The Premier League has announced it is extending its crucial price cap for away games, as the general cost of match tickets continues to creep up all over the country.
Most season card holders, be they here in Greater Manchester or elsewhere, are likely looking at their annual spending going up simply, so steps like these are key in keeping first division football as affordable as possible.
And that’s just the ongoing cost of living, let alone the clubs that are continuing the trend of charging more each year and, unfortunately, even pricing some supporters out entirely.
With that in mind, the news of England’s top-flight sides voting unanimously to keep the £30 cap intact for at least another two years comes as relief to those who spend most of the year putting their hard-earned cash towards following their team home and away.
BREAKING: The Premier League extend £30 cap on away tickets for another two seasons 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L336aZwmn3
Now confirmed to remain in place until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, travelling fans obviously still spend plenty of money on transport and so on every year, but at least they don’t have to worry about rising general admissions.
At least not for the time being…
Writing in a statement, the Premier League said: “Away fans help create the incredible atmosphere Premier League matches are renowned for. Since the cap’s implementation in 2016, it has contributed to attendance at away games increasing from 82% to 91%.”
They also acknowledged the significant and regular funds that supporters still spend on these trips, with plenty of people online also praising the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), which helped spearhead the campaign over a decade ago.
With so many other obstacles still getting in the way of fans making it to games either at their usual stadium or on an away day – not least of all the constant and increasingly frustrating rescheduling of fixtures – it’s good to see this isn’t an area the Prem are trying to target.
As always, the multi-billion-pound business can always seek out other, newer money spinners, and we’re absolutley certain they will. For instance, there’s at least one happening over in Spain that we’d happily see carried over here.
Following the news, this now means that fans will ultimately have enjoyed 12 back-to-back seasons of the benefit, and long may it continue.
Nevertheless, the biggest barrier for people to watch the beautiful game at its highest level in the UK remains the cost of standard tickets.
The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds and more have already let matchgoers know that their season ticket prices will be going up, and the likes of Man City have already seen backlash for increasing rates amid the expansion of the Etihad Campus.
Danny Jones -
10th October 2022 
