Cristiano Ronaldo is going against his family’s wishes by continuing to play top-level football into his 40s.
The Portugal striker continues to regularly score goals for Saudi club side Al Nassr and at international level and believes there is no reason to hang up his boots just yet.
Ronaldo has scored 946 times in his glorious career which has taken spells at CP Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus and he remains confident he can still cut it at the highest level.
Speaking after being recognized with the Prestígio Award at the Portugal Football Globes Gala last night, the 40-year-old said: “I still have the passion for it. My family told me it’s time to stop, that I don’t need to score 1,000 goals since I’ve already scored over 900.
“But that’s not how I see it. I’m still producing good things, still helping my club and my country. So why stop now? I’m sure when I finish I’ll say I’m exhausted because I gave everything. For now it’s about enjoying the moment. I know I have no more years, but the few that are left I want to make the most of.”
Goals are no longer an obsession – Ronaldo
Ronaldo has always possessed an undeniable thirst for goals, but he insists that has made the dugout and he now loves being able to play.
“To be honest, I don’t see it as 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 in a different way. 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 and give Ronaldo one last shot at performing on the world stage.
Roberto Martinez’s qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland and Hungary with victories giving them a chance to secure their place in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.
“Our goal is to win the next two matches and secure our place at the World Cup,” Ronaldo said. “We will think about the tournament later. For now, we need to focus on the present while keeping an eye on what lies ahead. It would be a dream, but one step at a time.
“I have been in the national team for 22 years. It says a lot about the passion I have for wearing this shirt, for winning trophies, for playing for Portugal.
“I often say that if I could, I would only play football only for the national team and not for a club, because that is the pinnacle of what a footballer can achieve.”
