Dutch pundit René van der Gijp had little sympathy for Cristiano Ronaldo's ongoing chase of his 1,000th career goal, dismissing the Portuguese star's current form on the talk show Vandaag Inside.
Ronaldo, who plays for Al Nassr, currently sits on 973 official career goals and needs 27 more to hit the milestone. Van der Gijp suggested a shortcut to end the saga once and for all: "They should just let him score 23 (27, ed.) goals in a friendly one time. Then you'd be rid of it," he joked, before turning more critical. "This is going to take so long... He's playing like shit at the moment. It doesn't look good any more."
The numbers back up some of that frustration. Ronaldo has scored three times in seven matches for Al Nassr this season, a clear drop-off from last season's return of 30 goals in 37 appearances.
Ronaldo's own words on the milestone
Ronaldo himself has never hidden how badly he wants to reach 1,000 goals. Speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai in December 2025, after being named the best player in the Middle East for the second year running, he addressed his motivation directly.
"It is difficult to keep playing football, but I am motivated," Ronaldo said. "My passion is great and I want to continue. It does not matter where I play, whether that is in the Middle East or Europe. I always enjoy football and I want to carry on."
He was equally clear about his target. "You know what my goal is," Ronaldo said. "I want to win trophies and I want to reach that number you all know: 1,000 goals. I will definitely reach that number, if I do not get any injuries."
Ronaldo's contract with Al Nassr runs until mid-2027, giving him time to close the gap even if, according to Van der Gijp at least, the current form isn't helping his cause.
