Dani Carvajal has no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo will reach 1,000 career goals. The Spanish defender, who shared the pitch with the Portuguese star at Real Madrid, made the prediction in an interview with Diario AS and heaped praise on his former teammate.
“He’ll reach 1,000 goals, for sure. And he deserves it. He’s the example of discipline, of perseverance,” Carvajal said. He also believes the public’s view of the forward is distorted by his recent years. “People are left with the image of the last few years. Anyone who hasn’t had the chance to see Cristiano here at Madrid… it was incredible, you had to see it. And especially in the dressing room,” he added.
The full-back also recalled a conversation before an important Champions League match, which shows how Ronaldo’s presence was felt in the squad. “He used to tell me: ‘Look, when you get there, put it in, I’ll be there.’ And you’d think: ‘My God, I’ll give you all of them, whoever it takes’ (laughs). He was very imposing… a predator in the box,” Carvajal said.
Ronaldo currently stands at 981 career goals, 19 short of the historic mark. Some statistics portals had credited him with a 982nd in Al Nassr’s 3-1 win at Al Faisaly, but that goal proved controversial, and the Saudi Pro League’s official match sheet ultimately did not give it to him.
The trophies Carvajal and Ronaldo won together at Real Madrid
Their paths crossed at Real Madrid between 2013 and 2018, years in which the club turned winning into a habit. Carvajal and Ronaldo shared 165 games and a dressing room that collected 13 titles in just five seasons.
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The haul began in 2014, when Madrid ended its long wait for a 10th European Cup, known as La Decima, and added the Copa del Rey in the same campaign. The momentum carried into the next season with the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup, both won in 2014.
The best chapter came between 2016 and 2018, when the team won the Champions League three years in a row. Within that stretch, the 2016-17 LaLiga title and the 2017 Spanish Super Cup completed a domestic and European double, while the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup were each lifted again in 2016 and 2017.
