The countdown is on. A few days before New Year’s Eve, Cristiano Ronaldo spoke about one of his latest obsessions: reaching the legendary mark of a thousand goals scored in his career, in official matches.
On Sunday, during the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony which took place in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), the 40-year-old Portuguese took the stage and reaffirmed his ambition which always seems more plausible with the progress of his successful outings.
“I want to continue playing, whether in the Middle East or in Europe,” said the superstar of Saudi club Al-Nassr. You know my goals: win more trophies and reach the number you all know. I’m sure I’ll reach it, if I don’t get hurt, inshallah.”
The captain of the Seleçao (226 caps, 143 goals), who was named best player in the Middle East during a ceremony which distributed a countless number of trophies without much thought (comeback of the year 2025 awarded to Paul Pogba, for example), is on the verge of achieving his goal.
The five-time Ballon d’Or, author of a double on Saturday during Al-Nassr’s big victory against Al-Okhdood (3-0), has now scored 956 goals since the start of his career more than two decades ago. The former player of Sporting Portugal, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus Turin is therefore only 44 successes away from becoming a millennium.
What if this page of history took place during the next World Cup, which will be played next summer in Canada, the United States and Mexico? This dream scenario seems unlikely, but it has the merit of being exciting.
Chris Geiger (cge) has been a journalist in the sports section of 20 minutes since 2021. His main interest is in ice hockey.
