Cristiano Ronaldo’s race to 1,000 goals has sparked fresh controversy after Transfermarkt explained why its records exclude seven goals from his career total.

Ronaldo Suffers Major Setback as Seven Goals Are Excluded From Career Total

Cristiano Ronaldo has suffered a surprising setback in his race to 1,000 career goals after Transfermarkt confirmed that its database records just 978 goals for the Portuguese superstar.

The 41-year-old Al Nassr captain recently scored a hat-trick against Al Kholood, taking his widely reported career total to 985 goals.

However, Transfermarkt uses a different method to count his goals, leaving a difference of seven.

Why are seven of Ronaldo’s goals missing?

According to Transfermarkt, six of the disputed goals came during the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, where Ronaldo helped Al Nassr win the trophy.

The competition was organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA), which is not part of FIFA or the continental football confederations.

For this reason, Transfermarkt does not include those six goals in its official career statistics.

The seventh disputed goal came during Al Nassr’s 3-1 victory over Al Faisaly on October 23.

While some records credited Ronaldo with the goal, Opta and several statistics platforms recorded it as an own goal by Andrei Girotto.

Ronaldo’s race to 1,000 goals becomes more complicated

The difference between the two records is significant:

• 985 goals: The widely reported career total, including the disputed goals.
• 978 goals: Transfermarkt’s recorded career total.
• Seven goals: The difference between the two statistics.

Under the higher total, Ronaldo needs just 15 more goals to reach 1,000.

However, according to Transfermarkt’s figures, he still needs 22 goals to achieve the historic milestone.

Has FIFA officially removed Ronaldo’s goals?

Importantly, this is not an official FIFA decision to remove seven goals from Ronaldo’s career.

The controversy comes from different organisations using different methods to count goals.

Transfermarkt explained its position on October 31, but other statistics providers continue to recognise a higher total.

The disagreement has created fresh debate among football fans as Ronaldo moves closer to one of the biggest milestones in football history.

Despite the controversy, Ronaldo remains determined to reach 1,000 career goals, although the exact number he still needs depends on which statistics provider is used.