Cristiano Ronaldo reached 700 careers goals on Monday night.

Portugal might have suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Ukraine, but there was plenty for their captain to celebrate when he lashed home a penalty in Kiev's Olimpiyskiy Stadium.

Sure, it would have been poetic if Ronaldo reached the feat with a 30-yard screamer, but his nervelessness from 12 yards was still enough to emphatically stamp him in the history books.

And when we say the 700-club is an exclusive one, we really aren't kidding because Ronaldo is only the sixth player to qualify and becoming the undisputed top dog is now well in sight.

So, using statistics compiled by BBC Sport, here are the six players who definitively have 700 goals on their record and will be looking over their shoulders for Ronaldo in years to come.

1. Josef Bican - 805 goals

Ok, yes, we can here the skepticism already. The Austrian striker scored most of his goals with Rapid Vienna and Sparta Prague during the 1930s and 1940s, but his superb striking record can't be denied.

2. Romario - 772 goals

Sorry Romario, the history books are skeptical of your 1,000-goal claim. Nevertheless, the former Barcelona striker and fellow World Cup winner is still one of the most prolific forwards the sport has ever seen.

3. Pele - 767 goals

There's a huge legion of fans who claim Pele was overrated but when you remove his suspect goals against poor opposition, the Brazilian still has three World Cup trophies and almost 800 strikes.

4. Ferenc Puskas - 746 goals

Playing for just two club sides in Budapest Honved and Real Madrid, Puskas almost averaged a goal every game and might have risen up the list if revolution didn't halt his Hungary career in 1956.

5. Gerd Muller - 735 goals

Rounding off the pre-Ronaldo club members, Muller was a personified goal machine at Bayern Munich - scoring 563 times in the Bavarian capital - and found the back of the net 85 times in 1972 alone.

6. Cristiano Ronaldo - 700 goals

The final 105 goals are now in sight. There's a real opportunity for Ronaldo to establish himself as the greatest goal-scorer in history after joining the 700-club with his penalty against Ukraine.

Next up? Lionel Messi - 672 goals

Before Ronaldo fans get too weak at the knees, Messi's slighter total is a result of having played considerably fewer games and it appears inevitable that the Barcelona superstar will join the club this season.