Will Cristiano Ronaldo score 1,000 career goals? The striker says he has been set the spectacular target by Porto’s president, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa.
This comes after he added two at the club’s Estadio do Dragao home while playing for Portugal on October 16, leaving him on 859 for club and country, including 127 internationally.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo blasted a brace as the Selecao beat Bosnia and Herzegonvia 5-0 in a walkover win that continued their perfect qualifying record, extending it to eight wins from eight matches – and sealing their place at Euro 2024 in Germany next summer.
The president of the two-time Champions League winners gave Ronaldo the challenge during a conversation the pair had after the previous win, 3-2 ofer Slovakia, according to the striker. “It will be quite difficult,” he acknowledged to reporters, via Ojogo, adding that achieving it would depend on “how I’m doing mentally, my motivation”.
“If, physically, my legs treat me as well as I treat them… let’s see. Before I reach 1,000, I have to reach 900 first. I believe I will reach it. Now I always think about short-term goals. 900? I’m confident, but 1,000 goals is a lot.”
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) October 13, 2023
The 38-year-old can create new records at the finals when they begin in June, and his total of 203 caps is a number he says he “never thought [he’d] reach”.
“It’s about continuing,” he added. “These are small steps that motivate me to continue playing. I feel very happy about that.
“For the national team, I wanted to beat the record for goals and international caps. But I just want to keep enjoying it. I don’t follow the records; they are the ones that follow me.”
After the despair of their surprise quarterfinal exit at the 2022 Fifa World Cup to Morocco, when Ronaldo was dropped by former manager Fernando Santos, the icon of Portuguese football seems happier under Roberto Martinez’s leadership.
On the opposite side of the pitch, Portugal had not conceded a goal in qualifying before Slovakia twice reduced their deficit to one goal in a spirited showing from the second-placed side in qualifying group J.
“It’s a feeling of great joy – things went better than we expected,” Ronaldo said of the campaign so far. “We haven’t had any defeats. On a personal level, I’m very happy.
“We played well, we won every game. Since I’ve been in the national team, we’ve never qualified like this. They say the opponents are weak. In other seasons there were also easy opponents and we were [relying on calculations]. Portugal has a good team, an excellent coach and progressing is no longer [based on chance].
“Now it’s time to continue. We have a few more games and it’s time to perfect the machine. The team has been doing very well and with different systems. I don’t know what the coach wants but I’m available to help the team. I like helping the team.”
Digam “Euro 2024!” 😁📸 pic.twitter.com/HknswtAgam
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) October 13, 2023
Portugal have two group stage matches left, while Ronaldo is in the early part of the Saudi Pro League season with Al Nassr and is not taking his fitness for granted for what is likely to be his sixth Euro tournament.
“I hope to be well by then, but there’s still a lot of time left,” he cautioned. “I hope I don’t have any injuries or other problems.
“I hope to play and be in the finals again, but until then there’s a lot left – a lot of things at club and national team.”
MORE: Al Nassr fixtures schedule 2023-2024
In a show of the enduring adulation Ronaldo receives in his homeland, one fan had to be escorted away after running onto the pitch in Porto to attempt to hug him.
“I am always very well received at all stadiums in Portugal,” he said. “Whether at Sporting, here at Porto, in the Algarve… I am a citizen of the world, I left Portugal very young, but my home is always here.
“The Portuguese support is constant. I was happy with the reception they gave me, but also the entire team. The Portuguese helped a lot and they are to be congratulated. This qualification is also theirs.”
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