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November 6, 2025
Ronaldo’s Champions League goal record once felt untouchable. But Haaland is scoring at a pace nobody’s seen before. Even odds on a new online sportsbook suggest the gap is closing, and the conversation has changed: could Ronaldo’s biggest record actually be under threat?
If there’s one record in European football that always felt unreachable, it’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League goal total. He didn’t just score — he dominated the competition for more than a decade, turning knockout nights into his own personal stage. But suddenly, there’s a new name hovering in the conversation. Erling Haaland hasn’t just joined the race; he’s sprinting through it. Even oddsmakers at the latest new online sportsbook have started shortening the gap, and fans are beginning to ask the question out loud: is Ronaldo’s crown really safe?
Cristiano Ronaldo - A class apart
Every few years, football hands us a storyline too big to ignore. Right now, it’s Erling Haaland’s sprint toward a record that once looked untouchable: Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time Champions League goal total. Ronaldo built that number over a decade and a half of dominance, scoring in every possible way, in every kind of stadium, and in matches where the whole world was watching. Haaland, still young and already tearing through Europe, has turned the debate into something real: not if he might challenge Ronaldo, but when.
Ronaldo sits at the very top of the Champions League scoring list with around 140 goals to his name. Nothing about that total came cheaply. He stacked goals from Manchester United to Real Madrid to Juventus, smashing records in knockout rounds, quarter-finals, semis, and three different finals. Even players with long careers rarely come close to half of that. It’s a mountain built from consistency, longevity, and a talent for showing up in the biggest nights of the season.
For years, his record looked untouchable. Then Haaland arrived.
Haaland has only been in the Champions League for a few seasons, yet his numbers look like something pulled from a video game. He became the fastest player ever to reach 50 Champions League goals — only 49 matches were enough. Nobody has hit that mark quicker. Not Messi. Not Ronaldo. Not any of the legends who shaped the modern era.
That’s what makes the conversation real. Haaland isn’t just scoring; he’s scoring faster than anyone in the competition’s history. He’s still in his mid-20s, playing for a side that regularly reaches the knockout stages, and surrounded by teammates who feed him chances. This is a striker built for Champions League football.
Data collected on November 6, 2025
The short answer: a lot.
Even with his insane pace, Haaland sits roughly 90 Champions League goals behind Ronaldo’s total. If he kept scoring at his current rate, he would need several full seasons of deep runs to catch the record. A group stage exit here, an injury there, or a poor campaign could easily push the chase back a year or two.
And there’s another layer: Ronaldo didn’t just score — he played forever at elite level. Goals stacked up because he refused to slow down. Doing this across a decade is harder than it looks on paper.
What helps Haaland:
• He’s young, already elite, and hasn’t even hit his prime.
• Manchester City regularly go deep in the tournament.
• His playing style demands service in the box — and City generate chances like a machine.
• The format gives him plenty of games every season.
What could make it difficult:
• Longevity. Ronaldo stayed near the top until almost 40.
• Injuries — Haaland’s size and intensity mean physical management is crucial.
• Future transfers. If he leaves City one day, not every team will create the same amount of chances.
• Champions League format changes could reduce matches or alter knockout structure.
So yes, Haaland has the pace. But pace alone doesn’t break this record — durability does.
If Haaland eventually reaches Ronaldo’s total, it won’t just be a new number in a record book. It would represent a shift between eras — from a generation built around Ronaldo and Messi to a new one led by Haaland and others still rising.
It would also spark the inevitable comparisons: Who did it faster? Who did it on bigger nights? Did the competition get easier or harder? Fans will debate that forever, just like they do with Messi and Ronaldo now.
For Haaland himself, it becomes legacy-defining. It’s one thing to be the best striker in the world today. It’s something very different to catch the biggest scorer the Champions League has ever seen.
In pure numbers: far. In possibility: close enough to make it exciting.
The chase is alive because Haaland is rewriting the pace of Champions League scoring. Ronaldo’s number still looks enormous, and it won’t fall anytime soon. But if there’s one striker on the planet who can turn it into a real threat, it’s the Norwegian wearing sky blue in Manchester.
And that’s why this story isn’t going away. Every goal moves the clock forward. Every season adds pressure. One era set the record. Another might be coming for it.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Al Nassr is on November 8, against NEOM, for the Saudi Pro League. You can watch NEON vs Al Nassr, Sturm Graz vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs AS Roma, Tottenham vs Manchester United, Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv and Crystal Palace vs AZ, all matches provided from our live streaming game pages.
Al Nassr next game:
NEOM vs Al Nassr kick-off time (08-11-2025):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 02:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 23:30
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+3: 21:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 19:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 18:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 15:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 14:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 11:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / espn.com / bbc.com
