OEIRAS – Cristiano Ronaldo walked into a packed room, claimed to be nervous, then did what he has done for more than two decades: taking centre stage, swatting away critics and insisting the final whistle is not yet in sight.
The 41-year-old Portugal captain, speaking on Wednesday at the Portugal Football Summit main stage before Thursday’s UEFA Nations League match against Wales, said he still had plenty to offer his country as Jorge Jesus prepares for his first game as national team coach.
Jesus replaced Roberto Martinez after Portugal’s disappointing World Cup campaign ended in the round of 16 against eventual champions Spain.
Ronaldo, now on 979 career goals — 833 for clubs and 146 for Portugal — is 21 short of the 1,000-goal landmark he has openly targeted. Asked whether winning the Nations League or reaching four figures mattered more, he grinned and chose both.
“One goal is to achieve both – reaching 1,000 goals and the national team trying to win this Nations League,” Ronaldo said at the Portugal Football Summit at the Portuguese FA headquarters outside Lisbon.
“It’s a new era with manager Jorge Jesus, whom we all know well; I just hope things go well for him.”
Ronaldo said reaching 1,000 in Portugal colours would be “the icing on the cake”.
“Scoring my 1,000th goal for the national team would be the culmination of something – a beautiful story,” he said. “It wouldn’t be the end of it, but it would be a beautiful story.”
Ronaldo insisted, however, that he was not consumed by the chase.
“I’ve already admitted that I want to get there, and I will get there,” he said. “An obsession? No … The rest is about enjoying it, enjoying every day.”
