Does Lionel Messi care about Cristiano Ronaldo’s 1,000-goal chase? Rossi tips Inter Miami star to hit mark | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo’s pursuit of 1,000 competitive goals has prompted Giuseppe Rossi to question whether Lionel Messi cares about the same target, while backing him to reach it.

“Yeah, it's interesting. I never thought about if that's the biggest part of his legacy. I mean, he loves the individual awards. He loves the individual accolades, right? So maybe that will be the thing that he'll lean on the most and rightfully so,” he said, speaking to Goal.com.

“Listen, scoring 1,000 goals for a striker, I'm a striker, I wish I had 1,000 goals! We all do. Scoring is the most difficult thing in the game of football. So why not be proud of it?”

Ronaldo, 41, is on 965 career goals and plays for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. He has won back-to-back Golden Boots in the Middle East and is preparing to captain Portugal at the 2026 World Cup.

Messi turns 39 in June and has extended his Inter Miami deal through 2028. He won the Golden Boot in 2025, regularly scores 30 or 40-plus a season and is closing in on 900.

Rossi added: “I'm not sure. I don't know. Do you think he even knows about that? Do you think he even cares about that? Maybe he does deep down, but I think it's two different ways that they approach the game. But I'm sure that Messi will get to 1,000 in the next three years.”

Asked about a 1,000th goal in a World Cup final, Ronaldo said: “You've been watching too many movies, that would be too perfect... let's take it step by step. If that happened, it would be a good sign, I'd end my career on a high note.”

Ronaldo has recently faced questions over his Al Nassr future after strike action and an injury. He is under contract until 2027 and any retirement plans remain on hold.

Source: Goal.com