Cristiano Ronaldo Shares His Big Goal Before Retiring from Football
Cristiano Ronaldo has disclosed the final milestone he wants to achieve before hanging up his boots. In a recent conversation with former footballer Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, the Portuguese legend expressed his ambition to score 1,000 goals—a rare accomplishment in the history of football.
Ronaldo recently scored his 899th career goal in Al-Nassr’s victory over Al Feiha, thanks to a spectacular free kick—his 64th goal from such a set piece.
Reflecting on this target, the 39-year-old shared, “I feel great, and I think I still look good [laughs]. I believe I can still dribble, shoot, score goals, and jump…”
“The day I feel like I’m not contributing anymore, I’ll pack up and leave [football]. But right now, I feel that day is far off.”
He continued, “First, I want to hit 900 goals. Then, I want to reach 1,000—but with a twist: I want videos of all 1,000 goals to prove that I scored them,” Ronaldo joked, referencing the lack of video evidence for some of Pele’s and Romario’s goals.
Ronaldo also addressed the criticism he faced for not scoring during the 2024 European Championship.
“I scored 60 goals last season. But people say, ‘Oh, but you didn’t even score five goals in the European Championship.’
“So what? What’s the problem? I’ve already scored 130. I’m the greatest goalscorer in the history of football.
“But I plan to push the limits even further. Soon, I’ll have 900 goals. And after that, I’ll reach 1,000. That’s the mark I want to hit. “How old will I be then? Maybe 41, I’m not sure,” the Portuguese star said, touching on the ongoing speculation about his retirement.