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Cristiano Ronaldo Aims To Make History As He Sets New Goal Before Retirement
Cristiano Ronaldo has set himself the career objective of scoring 1,000 goals for club and country before he retires.
The Portuguese superstar has scored 899 goals and is poised to surpass the 900 mark during Al-Nassr’s busy September schedule.
At 39 years old, he remains unsatisfied with his achievements and incredible stats, expressing confidence that he can reach his goal within the next two years if he maintains fitness.
“I want to reach 1,000 goals,” Ronaldo told his former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand on his newly launched YouTube channel. “If I don’t have any injuries, this for me is the most important [thing], I want that. For me, the best mark that I can have in football is to reach, first, 900 goals. After, my challenge is to be at 1,000 goals.”
Ronaldo’s undeniable star power was recently highlighted when the launch of his YouTube channel led him to surpass 50 million subscribers in the fastest time ever recorded.
He is leaning into video, not only to amplify his stardom but to act as a point of difference when his career is compared to the likes of Pele and Alfredo Di Stefano, whose credentials as all-time top scorer often came away from the camera.
“All the goals I have scored, they have video,” he said. “They all have video. Listen, I respect all of them [Pele and Di Stefano]. And if you want more goals, I can bring them from training, too. And I will prove to the people after. They prefer this player, or this is the best one. I don’t care about that.”
Ronaldo has no retirement plans in sight and believes he will keep playing as long as he offers something.
“I don’t know when I’m going to finish,” he said. “Since you play more, you learn many, many things. One thing that I’ve learned is to enjoy the moment. Because you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I know I’m still looking good. The day that I start to feel I don’t produce anything, listen, I’ll pack my bags, and I’ll go away. But it’s far from that.”
Ronaldo’s performances at Euro 2024 were closely examined. His movement and balance seemed off at the high pace of the competition and he had difficulty taking advantage of scoring opportunities.
This is especially evident during the penalty that brought him to tears in Portugal’s eventual victory over Slovenia.
Much of Ronaldo’s play during his second stint at Manchester United had a similar feel.
His career-long goalscoring exploits have come from his tremendous pace and power, combined with his constant desire to make things happen on the ball.
He has lost some of that, so his move to Al-Nassr in 2022 has certainly helped prolong his ability to consistently hit the back of the net.
In his prime, few could rival Ronaldo’s ability to secure victories in seemingly impossible situations.
His career is marked by stunning goals, ranging from incredible long-range strikes to gravity-defying headers, demonstrating his dominance during an era alongside Lionel Messi.
