The Portugal superstar clocked up 857 goals with a double to help his nation to a 3-2 victory over Slovakia. The victory was Portugal's seventh from seven matches in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, and sealed its place in the finals in Germany.

Ronaldo, who is 38, tempered expectations over his chances of reaching 1000 goals, though, describing the milestone as "quite difficult".

"If, physically, my legs treat me as well as I treat them, let's see," he added, saying he targets smaller milestones first.

"Before I reach 1000, I have to reach 900 first. I believe I will reach it. Now I always think about short-term goals. 900? I'm confident, but 1000 goals is a lot.

"These are small steps that motivate me to continue playing. I feel very happy about that. For the national team, I wanted to beat the record for goals and international caps. But I just want to keep enjoying it. I don't follow the records; they are the ones that follow me."