Cristiano Ronaldo has reaffirmed his ambition to reach 1,000 career goals, saying he would particularly like to achieve the milestone while playing for Portugal.
The 41-year-old Portugal captain currently has 979 goals across club and international football — 833 for clubs and 146 for Portugal — leaving him 21 goals short of the landmark.
Ronaldo spoke ahead of Portugal’s UEFA Nations League meeting with Wales on Thursday, which will be the first match under new head coach Jorge Jesus. Jesus replaced Roberto Martínez following Portugal’s elimination from the 2026 World Cup.
Ronaldo said he wants to achieve both his personal goal of 1,000 goals and another Nations League title with Portugal. He described scoring his 1,000th goal for his country as the culmination of a long career.
The forward also revealed that he had considered retiring from international football after the World Cup but decided to continue after discussions with the Portuguese Football Federation and Jesus.
Ronaldo is expected to start against Wales, with the match marking his 234th appearance for Portugal.
