Cristiano Ronaldo responds to what record he wants to break after scoring 900th career goal during Portugal win against Croatia
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has said that he's not pursuing any specific record after becoming the first player to score 900 times for club and country. The 39-year-old achieved the landmark in his team's 2-1 UEFA Nations League win over Croatia on Thursday.
After going scoreless in five games at Euro 2024 - one of his longest scoring scoring droughts for Portugal in recent memory - Ronaldo was back on the scoresheet against the 2018 FIFA World Cup runners-up.
Following Diogo Dalot's seventh-minute opener, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner netted his landmark strike 27 minutes later to create history. The Portugal captain told Canal 11 (as per Ojogo pt) about his emotions following his 900th goal:
“IA happy moment, to enjoy every moment of football, because I know it’s coming to an end. I’m not going to lie, another one, two, three years, I don’t know. It will depend a lot on my head, my motivation, my physical condition. And it’s like I said, it’s about enjoying every moment. I’m not going to plan long term, I don’t do that in my life anymore, it’s short term."
He added about his immediate goals:
"Now it's time to enjoy the Nations League, it's a really good competition. We've already won this competition; we want to win it again. And the records, I'm no longer guided by the records, honestly.
"Obviously these small achievements motivate me to work every day, but I'm no longer guided by that, I'm guided by enjoying what I'm missing from football."
Ronaldo and Co. next take on Scotland on Sunday in Lisbon in their next Nations League fixture.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has scored nearly as many goals in his 30s as he did in his 20s
Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the game's deadliest scorers and one of the best ever to grace a football field. Since making his senior debut for Sporting CP in 2002, he has scored more goals than anybody else in the game's history, and he's not done yet.
Exactly half of those goals - 450 - came during his hugely successful nine-season spell at Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018. He has also scored 145 times for Manchester United across two stints, 101 for Juventus, 68 for his current club Al-Nassr and five for Sporting.
As per NY Times, the 39-year-old scored 440 times for club and country during his 20s. In his next decade, Cristiano Ronaldo has nearly equalled that tally, netting 437 times, a glowing testament to his longevity and sustained brilliance.