Cristiano Ronaldo has offered his own assessment of where he stands in football history, using an interview with CNN Portugal to argue that his record makes the case for him. The Portuguese forward is closing in on 1,000 career goals and currently stands on 980.
The tone of his remarks was that of a player who feels undervalued. “People do not value my fitness level or my goals,” he said, in comments reported by The Athletic. Ronaldo sounded resentful that he is not rated as highly as he believes he deserves, and the interview made clear that he considers the recognition he receives to fall short of what he has achieved.
He also spoke with some discomfort about the pursuit of a thousandth goal, insisting the milestone should not be forced. “Things have to happen naturally,” he said. “If I score 920 goals, 925, 930… I will be the best in history, and that’s it. The numbers speak for themselves. If I reach 1,000 goals, it will be incredible, an objective, but I don’t think long term.”
Reaching the mark would be an objective, he said, but his focus does not stretch that far ahead. Asked about his future, Ronaldo declined to set a date for his retirement. “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” he explained. “Maybe I’ll wake up unmotivated and no longer want to play, I simply don’t know.”