Cristiano Ronaldo explains why retirement remains some way off as 891-goal Al-Nassr & Portugal superstar roars back at ‘young lions’

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, who is assured of a standing among the all-time greats, has registered 763 goals at club level – with 48 of those coming this season across action in the Middle East. He is also the leading scorer in men’s international football with 128 efforts to his name.

That leaves Ronaldo on 891 in total, meaning that 1,000 remains a realistic target for the evergreen frontman. He has no intention of hanging up his boots any time soon, with the 39-year-old telling the Whoop podcast: “I feel proud to have this age and still compete at the highest level. It's great and it gives me motivation to carry on. If you look at my career for the last 20 years, my level is high. If you are top for 20 years, it's unbelievable. I do that and I continue to do that. For me it's a big achievement.”

Ronaldo – with league titles in England, Spain and Italy to his name, along with five Champions League crowns – added on still having an insatiable desire to compete: “My biggest motivation is to carry on. It's not easy to be at this level. To still push, to still motivate, to carry on, to score goals, to be in good shape, to compete with the young lions that are coming and that when they play against me, they want to show me that they are stronger and faster than me. You have to prepare very well not just physically but mentally, too. This is the challenge.”

CR7 continues to meet that challenge head on. He has major honours to chase down with club and country in 2024, with Al-Nassr through to the King Cup of Champions final while Portugal ready themselves for another shot at continental glory in this summer’s European Championship.