Cristiano Ronaldo sets a special mark. The Portuguese celebrates a special goal in the 2-1 Nations League match against Croatia in Lisbon. Afterward, he is overwhelmed by emotion. But many more goals are to follow.
No one had ever heard him say anything about a possible departure. Before the match against Croatia, however, Cristiano Ronaldo said the following: “When I no longer add value, I will be the first to go.”
How much added value he still has was shown at the start of the Nations League. The Portuguese superstar scored the 900th goal of his career. And, not surprisingly, he reacted emotionally. The five-time world footballer sprinted to the corner flag, put his hands in front of his face and sank to the ground.
“It seems like any other milestone, but only I and the people around me know how hard it is to work every day, to be physically and mentally fit and to score 900 goals,” said the 39-year-old exceptional talent after Portugal’s 2-1 (2-1) win against Croatia in Lisbon – and added: “It is a unique milestone in my career.”
“It was a milestone,” says Ronaldo
The Portugal captain celebrated the 2-0 after 34 minutes, which gave him another impressive mark in world football, with great enthusiasm. “It means a lot to me,” said Ronaldo, who has been under contract with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia since last year: “It was a milestone that I wanted to reach for a long time. I knew that I could reach this number because if I kept playing, it would happen naturally.”
It was Ronaldo’s 131st goal in his 213th international match. No other footballer in the world has scored more international matches and goals in the national jersey. And it is far from the end for the veteran. “I dreamed of this and I have even more dreams. Thank you all!” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram alongside a video showing some of his goals.
At the European Championships, however, he was heavily criticized because he continued to play as captain and regular player without making any noticeable contribution to the team in sporting terms.
dpa/LaGa
