Ronaldo and Messi chase their 1,000th goal: How long will it take, according to AI prediction?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the two highest scorers in soccer history, yet neither has reached the elusive milestone of 1,000 career goals. An AI has predicted how long it will take each of these legends to hit that mark.

© Carmen Mandato/Yasser Bakhsh/Getty ImagesLionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami celebrates scoring his third goal during the second half against the New England Revolution at Chase Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida/Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr celebrating after scores the 1st goal during the Saudi Pro League match between Al Nassr and Al Raed at Al Awwal Park Stadium on August 22, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have revolutionized soccer , with their fierce rivalry captivating fans for over two decades.

As the top two scorers of all time, their careers have been defined by record-breaking achievements, and now, with both edging toward 1,000 goals, fans are eager to see who will get there first.

In the early 2000s, before either player had made their professional debuts, FIFA’s official records recognized Josef Bican, an Austro-Czech forward who scored 805 goals between 1931 and 1955, as the all-time leading scorer. However, that record has since been shattered by Ronaldo and Messi.

CR7 has amassed 907 goals for clubs including Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and currently Al-Nassr, along with the Portugal national team.

Leo, on the other hand, has 849 goals to his name, having played for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Miami, in addition to the Argentina national team.

Now, the burning question is whether either of them can surpass the 1,000-goal milestone in official matches—something no player has ever done before.

Bolavip turned to ChatGPT to predict how long it might take each of them to reach this historic mark. Here’s what the AI had to say.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus F.C. is put under pressure by Lionel Messi of Barcelona during the UEFA Champions League Group G stage match between FC Barcelona and Juventus at Camp Nou on December 08, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s path to 1,000 goals

Ronaldo is currently 93 goals short of 1,000. With his scoring rate at Al-Nassr sitting at 0.91 goals per game, the AI predicts that he would need approximately 102 more games to reach the milestone.

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Assuming Cristiano remains fit and that both Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team perform well in upcoming competitions, he could achieve this feat within two to three seasons.

By that time, Ronaldo would be around 42 or 43 years old, potentially making him one of the longest-serving strikers in soccer history.

Messi’s road to 1,000 goals

Using the same calculations, the AI projected that Messi, who needs 151 more goals to reach 1,000, would require around 164 games to achieve the milestone.

This assumes the Argentine star maintains his current scoring rate of 0.92 goals per game with Inter Miami, and that both his club and Argentina remain competitive in the coming seasons.

In Messi’s case, the AI predicts that it could take him three to four seasons to hit 1,000 goals.

Though he may reach the mark after Ronaldo in terms of time, Messi would likely accomplish it at a younger age—around 40 or 41 years old.