"Only with a shotgun — and even then, I dodge the bullet." At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo isn't done, and he's not pretending to be diplomatic about it either.
Speaking at the Portugal Football Summit in Oeiras, CR7 laid out exactly what he's still chasing: reach 1,000 career goals and lift the Nations League trophy with Portugal. Two targets. No retirement timeline attached.
A new era, and Ronaldo's still the centrepiece
Portugal kick off the Jorge Jesus era this week with a Nations League Group D opener against Wales, followed by fixtures against Denmark and Norway — home and away. It's a winnable group on paper, which matters if Portugal's Nations League odds are going to hold up through the autumn.
Ronaldo was deliberate in his praise for Jesus, calling him "the perfect choice" and noting that the new coach's familiarity with several squad members should accelerate the transition. He was equally pointed — if diplomatically vague — about the Roberto Martínez era ending: "We must praise the work the coach did in another country, despite all the attacks he received." Make of that what you will.
On the milestone itself, Ronaldo was measured. "I know I'll get there, but it's not an obsession." He's in the 900s. The gap is closing. At Al-Nassr he continues to score at a rate that makes 1,000 a matter of when, not whether.
Retirement? Don't hold your breath for an answer
Asked directly when he'll stop, he gave the only honest answer available: he doesn't know. "It's very possible this is the last year. I'll let you know when it's my last match."
That's not evasion — that's just Ronaldo. He said he learned to stop planning in his early thirties. Given that he's still here at 41, it's hard to argue the approach hasn't worked.
The criticism back home? He shrugged it off with the kind of detachment you earn after two decades in the spotlight. "A half-dozen people disliking me doesn't affect me."
Portugal vs Wales kicks things off. Jorge Jesus gets his first competitive test. And Ronaldo needs goals — as always.
