Related items

• Ronaldo can reach 1,000-goal milestone before retirement - Jorge Andrade

  Cristiano Ronaldo is capable of reaching 1,000 career goals as long as he continues to look after his body, according to Jorge Andrade.

  The five-time Ballon d'Or winner netted his 900th goal for club and country in Portugal's 2-1 Nations League win over Croatia on 5 September.

  Ronaldo then added to his tally with a late winner in the 2-1 victory over Scotland three days later, setting him on his way to reaching the four-figure milestone.

  Former Portugal star Jorge Andrade, speaking at the Thinking Football Summit organised by Liga Portugal, backed his compatriot to do just that.

  "With Cristiano Ronaldo, nothing is impossible," Andrade said to Stats Perform. 

  "Since we've watched football, the idea of the 1,000 goals is associated with our great idol, Pele. 

  "But nowadays, both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have managed to overcome other idols, Diego Maradona and Pele. 

  "They managed to be the highlight of the football game in a short time. It's not surprising Ronaldo can break that record. He looks after his body. 

  "He has a history of very few injuries. In terms of the Portuguese national team and the league he is in, he manages his efforts well."

  Ronaldo has scored 132 of his goals for Portugal, with whom he won Euro 2016, while the other 769 have come at club level.

  The 39-year-old has scored 68 times for current club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he has spent the past 20 months.

  While Ronaldo continues to score freely in the Middle East, long-time rival Messi is now plying his trade in the United States with Inter Miami.

  Andrade, best remembered for his time at Deportivo during his playing career, believes both deserve credit for taking on challenges elsewhere.

  "The most important thing for them is that they share the experiences they have even in adverse environments," he said. 

  "For example, Messi now plays in MLS. It's a difficult league; it's a league that doesn't have much visibility. 

  "He managed to be there and increase visibility. Cristiano Ronaldo went to Saudi Arabia and it's a complicated environment. 

  "He increased the visibility of that championship, making it attractive for other players to play who had just the five major leagues as the main goal to play.

  "In other words, these two players have changed the world of football."

• Birmingham 3-1 Wrexham: Stansfield brace hands hosts Hollywood derby bragging rights

  Jay Stansfield struck either side of half-time to give 10-man Birimingham a huge 3-1 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham on Monday. 

  A game dubbed the 'Hollywood derby' was given a blockbuster start when Jack Marriot smashed home the opening goal for the visitors with just two minutes on the clock. 

  But Birmingham's £10million recruit Stansfield soon levelled the scores, being the first to react to Alfie May's effort that was parried into his path by Arthur Okonkwo. 

  The hosts then took hold of the encounter as May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman went close, but the game entered the break finely poised at St. Andrew's.

  However, Blues' dominance prevailed seven minutes after the restart with Stansfield's header picking out the far corner following Alex Cochrane's pinpoint cross. 

  And the points were sealed just before the hour-mark in stunning fashion as Tomoki Iwata's strike from distance smashed in off the post, much to the delight of minority owner Tom Brady in the stands.

  A fiesty conclusion to proceedings saw Chris Davies' side end the game with a man less after Krystian Bielik was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Andrew Cannon, but Birmingham were able to hold on for the win. 

  Data Debrief: The American dream

  Much was made of Birmingham's approach to the transfer window after spending £25m in their attempts to return the Championship at the first time of asking, but their biggest investment proved his worth on Monday.

  Stansfield notched his first two goals for the club since his permanent switch from Fulham, but the Blues striker also played a starring role in the encounter. 

  He registered an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.12 to Birmingham's 1.3 total, while he also produced more shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (six) than any other player. 

• Koopmeiners backed to shine in Champions League opener by Motta

  Thiago Motta is confident that new signing Teun Koopmeiners will excel is included in their Champions League opener against PSV.

  The 26-year-old has featured in two games for Juventus since joining from Europa League winners Atalanta for €54million in August.

  Koopmeiners, who missed out on a place at Euro 2024 with the Netherlands due to a muscle injury, has played just 135 minutes so far, but has created the third-most chances out of the Juve players (four).

  And Motta said the Dutchman has already gelled well with his team-mates in training and expects him to make an impact if he is involved.

  "It doesn't look like he hasn't trained for a month. He's integrating very well," Motta told reporters. 

  "He's trying to put all his qualities at the disposal of the team. Everyone who is called up tomorrow is doing very well.

  "We expect everything we expect from the rest of the team. If he plays tomorrow, he will perform great. Together with his teammates, he can do great things."

  Motta joined as head coach in June and will become the 10th different manager to take charge of Juventus in the Champions League.

  The Italian is looking forward to leading the team in the competition after they were banned last year for breaching licencing and Financial Fair Play rules.

  "Great pride to start this competition. Then we play at home against a good team," Motta added. 

  "I can't wait to start the match. We want to put in a great performance to bring the result on our side."

  Juve had a busy transfer window with Koopmeiners the most high-profile of several arrivals, including fellow midfielders Douglas Luiz and Khephren Thuram plus left-back Juan Cabal.

  However, the 42-year-old Motta remained tight-lipped on whether he would give chances to several debutants after a goalless draw with Empoli in Serie A on Saturday.

  "Everything counts in football - experience, enthusiasm and desire. At Empoli, we played well without getting the result we wanted. Now it's a closed chapter," he added.

  Juve midfielder Manuel Locatelli also said the draw at Empoli made them "angry, but it's a closed chapter", and they are looking forward to their game in Europe's top competition.

  "Last year we missed it a lot. We are excited, and we can't wait to get on the pitch. Hearing the music is special, and the fans will give us a hand," the Italy international said.

  "We have signed strong midfielders with a lot of quality and experience who raise the level of the team. It is a pleasure to play with them".