Cristiano Ronaldo sees ‘untouchable’ record dream revealed as former Real Madrid & Man Utd team-mate explains why Portuguese GOAT won’t ‘stop’

Despite winning countless honours with club and country over the years, with the history books being written on a regular basis, Ronaldo is showing no sign of slowing down at the age of 40. He remains a prolific presence for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and is up to 217 international caps for Portugal.

Ronaldo has stated a desire to reach 1,000 career goals before giving any thought to retirement, and is being backed to hit that landmark. Varane believes that CR7 will not stop until his body gives out, with there still plenty left for him to achieve.

French defender Varane, who worked with Ronaldo at Real Madrid and Manchester United, has told L’Equipe: “He wants to be untouchable in terms of records and leave an indelible mark on football for thousands of years if possible. His major motivation at 40 is hard to analyse since he's already won everything long ago, but it's not financial.

“It's more about wanting to be extraordinary. He never mentioned age limit [in terms of retiring]. But for him, anything is possible. So when he reaches a limit, he wants to go further. I think he'll only stop when he can't anymore.”

Ronaldo has been at the top of his game for over 20 years, with remarkable individual standards being maintained. Varane added on how the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been able to achieve that: “They say genius borders on madness, and what he does is sometimes a bit mad. It's so intense that it's impressive. He inspired me enormously throughout my career.

“Yes, hot bath, cold bath. But that's not a myth; I did it too. He does it for the physical aspect but also for the mind, to unwind before sleeping. He didn't do it every match nor did [he do] sit-ups all day long every day, but he always maintained this level of demand.”

Ambition continues to burn bright for Ronaldo, with the evergreen frontman demanding nothing but the best from himself and those around him. There will come a day when he has to call it quits, but that would appear to remain some way off for now.