Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo said near Lisbon that he intends to reach the mark of 1,000 career goals and help the national team win the UEFA Nations League. The footballer spoke at the Portugal Football Summit ahead of the match against Wales, which will be Jorge Jesus’ first as head coach of the national team.
As Dawn reports, 41-year-old Ronaldo has 979 career goals: 833 at club level and 146 for the Portugal national team. He needs 21 more goals to reach the 1,000-goal mark.
Two goals for the tournament
Asked what was more important to him — winning the Nations League or reaching a four-digit goal tally — Ronaldo replied that he wants both results. He called the start of work with Jesus a new era and expressed hope that everything would go well for the new coach.
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Ronaldo also said that reaching the 1,000-goal mark would be the “icing on the cake” and a beautiful story. At the same time, he stressed that he does not consider it an obsession and wants to enjoy every day.
Decision to continue playing
The footballer admitted that after Portugal’s World Cup campaign ended in a Round of 16 match against Spain, he considered his future international career. According to him, talks with the Portuguese Football Federation and Jesus convinced him to continue playing for the national team.
Ronaldo noted that he is ready to help the team with goals and victories. He added that he will leave the national team if the coach no longer counts on him or if he feels that he is no longer contributing to the team’s play. The Portuguese did not name a clear timeline for ending his career.
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