"In 3 months I'll be 40, so I'll just take it easy" - Cristiano Ronaldo responds when asked if he wants to reach 1000-goal milestone
Cristiano Ronaldo replied he "wants to take it easy" when asked if he wishes to reach the 1000-goal milestone before retirement. The 39-year-old scored a brace in Portugal's 5-1 win over Poland in the UEFA Nations League at the Estadio do Dragao on Friday night (November 15).
Ronaldo's first goal against Poland came after Portugal was awarded a penalty for a handball and he successfully converted it in the 72nd minute. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner netted his second goal of the match with a bicycle kick in the 87th minute. He also provided the assist to Pedro Neto's goal in the 83rd minute.
Ronaldo scored his 900th career goal in Portugal's UEFA Nations League clash against Croatia on September 5. In August, he spoke about his aim to reach 1000 career goals before retirement in an interaction with Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, UR · Cristiano.
"Soon I'll score 900 and then I'll beat 1000. If I don't have injuries, this is the most important thing for me. I want that. For me, it's the best mark that I can have in football to be the first to reach 900 goals. After that, my challenge is to reach 1000," he said.
After scoring a brace against Poland, Cristiano Ronaldo has 910 career goals. Following Portugal's victory in the UEFA Nations League, he was asked about the possibility of reaching 1000 goals before retiring. The Al-Nassr captain replied (via @TimelineCR7 on X):
"I want to enjoy it day by day. This thing about 1,000 goals doesn't interest me at all, honestly. I want to enjoy it."
About if he wants to achieve the new milestone, Ronaldo added:
"It's normal to want to, but honestly I don't think about it. In three months I'll be 40, so I'll just take it easy and continue to enjoy it. Playing for the Portuguese national team is where I like to play the most, honestly. Coming here and scoring goals helps."
Cristiano Ronaldo has registered 10 goals and three assists in 15 appearances across competitions for Al-Nassr in this ongoing season. He has registered five goals for Portugal in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League.
What did Portugal's head coach say about Cristiano Ronaldo following UEFA Nations League win over Poland
Portugal national team head coach Roberto Martínez spoke about Cristiano Ronaldo after A Selecao's 5-1 win against Poland in the UEFA Nations League. The Spanish manager heaped praise on how the Real Madrid legend is during training sessions and said (via @FabrizioRomano on X):
"We see Cristiano scoring goals but the way he trains… that’s fantastic. The mentality, the attitude, his training sessions are showing the way. He’s been great as usual. We’re happy."
Martínez also praised Ronaldo's dedication and leadership skills and added (via @TimelineCR7 on X):
"The commitment he has shown in training is important, he has been disciplined while working in his position, he works very hard, so it is about continuing to do what he has been doing at the elite level in world football, which is scoring goals. Cristiano is disciplined, committed and he is our leader and he continues to do what he does best which is goals, we really like his attitude."
Along with making three goal contributions, Ronaldo made 54 touches and two key passes while maintaining a pass accuracy of 82 percent against Poland.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who made his senior debut for A Selecao in 2003, has recorded 135 goals and 45 assists in 215 appearances across competitions for his nation.