Cristiano Ronaldo is going against his family’s wishes by continuing to play football at the highest level into his 40s.
The Portuguese striker continues to score goals regularly for Saudi club Al-Nassr and at international level and believes there is no reason to hang up his boots just yet.
Ronaldo scored 946 goals in a glorious career spent at Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, and remains confident that he can still achieve it at the highest level.
Speaking after receiving the Prestigio Award at the Portuguese Football Awards last night, the 40-year-old said: “I still have a passion for this. My family told me it was time to stop, that I didn’t need to score 1,000 goals because I had already scored more than 900 goals.”
“But that’s not how I see it. I’m still producing good things, I’m still helping my club and my country. So why stop now? I’m sure that when I’m done with my job, I’ll leave with full energy because I gave everything. Right now, it’s about enjoying the moment. I know I don’t have many years left, but the few years I have left, I want to enjoy them to the fullest.”
Goals are no longer an obsession – Ronaldo
Ronaldo has always had an unquenchable thirst for goals, but he insists that thirst has waned and he now just relishes being able to play.
“To be honest, I don’t consider it an obsession anymore,” he added. “If you had asked me 20 years ago, I might have said something different, that I wanted to conquer the world. But now I see things differently. Age teaches us to think otherwise. My philosophy is to live day by day, because things can change in an instant. You can’t make long-term plans in this game.”
Portugal can qualify for the World Cup next week Giving Ronaldo one last chance to perform on the world stage.
Roberto Martinez’s team plays in the qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland and Hungary, and victory in each gives them a chance to secure their place in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.
Ronaldo said: “Our goal is to win the next two matches and secure our place in the World Cup.” “We will think about the tournament later. For now, we need to focus on the present while keeping our eyes on what is coming. It will be a dream, but step by step.
“I’ve been with the national team for 22 years. That alone says a lot about my passion for wearing this shirt, winning trophies, and playing for Portugal.
“I often say, if I could, I would only play football for the national team and not for any club, because that is the pinnacle of what a footballer can achieve.”
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