Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo admits that he may he struggle to hit any more goalscoring landmarks as he approaches his 40th birthday.
Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted his target of reaching 1,000 career goals may be beyond him, as his career begins to wind down, raising questions about whether he could retire in the near future.
The all-time top scorer in the history of international football reached the 900-goal landmark when he netted Portugal‘s second goal in their win over Croatia last month, before breaking into tears during his celebration.
However, the goals are not coming as thick and fast as they did in his prime, as Ronaldo has managed just two in the six Al-Nassr games since the previous international break.
Aleksandar Mitrovic and Karim Benzema are both comfortably ahead of the Portuguese great in the Saudi Pro League scoring charts, where Ronaldo has six goals in nine games so far this season.
Ronaldo honest about future prospects
Despite dropping down a level to play in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo confirmed he now has doubts about whether the 1,000-goal landmark is achievable.
Ronaldo turns 40 in February, and while still a regular for Portugal, he was honest about his future prospects, even though it is well-documented that individual achievements mean so much.
Speaking at an award ceremony held by the Portuguese Football Federation, where Ronaldo was handed the Platinum Quinas trophy, he admitted: “I now face my life as living in the moment. I can’t think long term anymore.
“I said publicly that I wanted to reach 1,000 goals, but it seems that now everything is easy, just last month I reached 900.
“It’s about living in the moment, seeing how my legs will respond in the next few years. If I reach 1,000 goals, that’s fine, but if I don’t, I’m already the player with the most goals in history.”
The trophy presented to Ronaldo at that ceremony is among the most prestigious on offer to people from the country, awarded to those who have shown ‘the excellence of being Portuguese’.
© Imago
What next for Ronaldo?
In the immediate future, Ronaldo is back in Europe to represent Portugal again this month in their final two UEFA Nations League group games.
The Selecao das Quinas will face Poland and Croatia, knowing that they need just one point to reach the finals of the Nations League next year.
Goals, as always, will be the target for Ronaldo, who now has 133 in his 215 caps for Portugal, 21 ahead of Lionel Messi’s tally of 112 in second.
Ronaldo is believed to be looking further ahead to the 2026 World Cup though, and becoming the first player to play at six finals, even if he has to share that honour with Messi, who will also do so if he makes it.
