Cristiano Ronaldo drops major hint over retirement plans after brace for Al-Nassr | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo has vowed to not retire until he scores his 1,000th career goal after the Portugal captain hit a double for his club Al-Nassr.

The 40-year-old helped his club side to a 3-0 win against Al Akhdoud on Saturday, protecting their place at the top of the Saudi Pro League table and topping up his career total for club and country to 956 goals.

After joining Al-Nassr in 2022, with his current deal set to expire in 2027 when he will be 42 years old, Ronaldo maintains his motivation is to reach that iconic milestone.

"It's hard to continue playing, but I am motivated,” Ronaldo said after being named the Best Middle East Player at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai.

"My passion is high and I want to continue. It doesn't matter where I play, whether in the Middle East or Europe. I always enjoy playing football and I want to keep going.

"You know what my goal is. I want to win trophies and I want to reach that number [1,000 goals] that you all know. I will reach the number for sure, if no injuries."

The move to insist on reaching 1,000 career goals is in contrast to his stance during an interview with Piers Morgan when he claimed he would retire from football "soon".

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar said: "I think I will be prepared. It will be tough, of course. I will probably cry.”

With 13 goals in 14 appearances this season, Al-Nassr are four points clear with Ronaldo targeting a first league title during his spell in the Kingdom.

His overal total for the club stands at 112 goals in 125 appearances, though he has only added an Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023 to his trophy haul.

The 1,000 goals milestone would join a host of impressive records for Ronaldo, including the record number of goals for Portugal (143) and Real Madrid (450), while he is also the only player to have scored more than 100 goals for four different clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr.

The World Cup 2026 is set to be Ronaldo’s last international tournament, after confirming his international future with the Selecao last month.