Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has stated that he will not retire from professional football until he reaches 1,000 career goals.
The 40-year-old forward netted two goals in Al-Nassr’s 3-0 victory over Al Akhdoud on Saturday, bringing his total for both club and country to 956 goals.
Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in 2022, extended his contract with the Saudi Arabian team for another two years last July, which will keep him playing past his 42nd birthday.
After being awarded the Best Middle East Player at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai on Sunday, Ronaldo commented that “it’s challenging to keep playing, but I’m motivated.
“My passion remains strong, and I want to continue. It doesn’t matter where I play, whether in the Middle East or Europe; I always enjoy football and wish to keep going.”
He added: “You know my goal. I want to win trophies and reach that milestone of 1,000 goals. I am confident I will achieve it, provided I stay injury-free.”
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In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo mentioned that he plans to retire from football “soon.”
He acknowledged that it would be difficult and admitted “I will probably cry.”
This season, Ronaldo has scored 13 goals in 14 matches for Al-Nassr, who currently lead the Saudi Pro League by four points.
Despite his impressive record of 112 goals in 125 matches, Al-Nassr has only secured one trophy, the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023, since his arrival.
Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals scored for Portugal (143) and Real Madrid (450) and is the only player to have scored over 100 goals for four different clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Al-Nassr.
He mentioned in November that the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will be his final international tournament. He captained Portugal to victory in Euro 2016, marking the country’s first international men’s trophy.
