Cristiano Ronaldo surprises with 1,000-goal comments and reveals one special wish

A countdown Ronaldo is approaching without obsession

Cristiano Ronaldo may be 41, but he is still chasing milestones that could add another remarkable chapter to his goalscoring legacy. The Portuguese forward addressed the possibility of reaching 1,000 career goals on Wednesday and made it clear he believes he will get there.

“I've already admitted that I want to get there and that I will. But it's not an obsession. I never do things out of obsession, because when you do things obsessively, they don't turn out the way you want,” Ronaldo said during a press conference at the Portugal Football Summit in Oeiras, outside Lisbon.

His comments come as Ronaldo moves increasingly closer to a milestone that once appeared almost unreachable.

How many goals does Cristiano Ronaldo need to reach 1,000?

Ronaldo currently has 979 career goals, leaving him just 21 short of reaching 1,000.

His extraordinary total includes 450 goals for Real Madrid and 146 for the Portugal national team.

But for Ronaldo, simply reaching the milestone is not the only objective. There is a particular scenario in which he would love to score the historic goal.

Ronaldo's special wish for goal No. 1,000

Ronaldo wants to reach 1,000 goals while he is still playing for Portugal. In fact, he has already imagined the perfect way to complete the achievement.

“For me, it would be the icing on the cake. Scoring my 1,000th goal with the national team would be the culmination of a beautiful story. Hopefully...,” he said.

Portugal's upcoming schedule will give him more opportunities to close the gap.

The Portuguese side begins its Nations League title defense against Wales on Thursday at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon.

Portugal will then visit Erling Haaland's Norway on the 27th, face Denmark on October 1 and meet Norway again on October 4 at the Estadio do Dragao.

Could this be Cristiano Ronaldo's final year?

The pursuit of 1,000 goals comes with another major question surrounding Ronaldo: how much longer will he continue playing professionally?

Ronaldo admitted that even he does not know when retirement will come, although he acknowledged that he could be entering the final months of his career.

“I don't know when I'm going to end my career. I wish I knew the answer, but I don't. When I was in my thirties, I learned to live in the moment. I don't think about tomorrow, so I don't know, but it's very possible that this could be my final year,” he said.

If that proves to be the case, the race to score the 21 goals he still needs would take on even greater significance.

A new era for Portugal under Jorge Jesus

Ronaldo is also entering a new chapter with his national team. Jorge Jesus has taken charge of Portugal following the departure of Roberto Martinez, beginning a new era for the reigning Nations League champions.

Ronaldo congratulated Martinez on his work and described Jorge Jesus as a “perfect choice.” The two already know each other after Jesus coached him last season at Al Nassr.

The forward also made it clear he is willing to accept whatever role the new Portugal coach asks of him, “whether it's to come on, come off or not play.”

“I believe I'm here with the national team because I add value at my club, and I can bring that to the national team (...) I want to help with what I can contribute, not because of my résumé,” he said.

Ronaldo then pointed to his numbers as evidence that he can still make a difference for Portugal.

“I'm sure I'm still providing what they need from me with the national team. You only have to look at the numbers,” he added.

Key takeaways

1. Cristiano Ronaldo has 979 career goals and needs 21 more to reach the historic 1,000-goal milestone.
2. The Portuguese star wants to reach the landmark while still representing his country and dreams of scoring No. 1,000 for Portugal.
3. At 41, Ronaldo admitted that it is “very possible” this could be his final year as a professional player.

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