Cristiano Ronaldo eyeing 1000 goals and Nations League win as new Portugal era begins

[p]The 41-year-old [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/portugal/WvJrjFVN/"]Portugal[/a] captain, speaking on Wednesday at ‌the Portugal Football Summit main stage before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/portugal-WvJrjFVN/wales-YcUP0Nqp/?mid=MH4bvpgD"]Thursday's UEFA Nations League match[/a] against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/wales/YcUP0Nqp/"]Wales[/a], said he still had plenty to ‌offer his country as Jorge Jesus prepares for his first game as national team ‌coach.[/p][p]Jesus replaced Roberto Martinez after Portugal's disappointing World Cup campaign ended in the round of 16 ‌against eventual champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a].[/p][p]Ronaldo, now on 979 career goals — 833 for clubs and 146 ‌for Portugal — is 21 short of the 1,000-goal landmark he has openly targeted. Asked whether winning the Nations League or reaching four figures mattered more, he grinned and chose both.[/p][image alt="Portugal - Wales win probability" id="a17b8632-2195-474a-918b-f2bf7596decf" credit-line="Flashscore" hidden-attrs="alt, credit" guid="aca610ba-eaeb-409c-823e-f96ae02fcc80" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]"[b]One goal is to achieve both – reaching ‌1,000 goals and the national team trying to win this ⁠Nations League[/b]," Ronaldo said at the Portugal Football ‌Summit at the Portuguese FA headquarters outside Lisbon.[/p][p]"[b]It's a new era with manager Jorge Jesus, whom we ​all know well; I just hope things go well for him[/b]."[/p][p]Ronaldo said reaching 1,000 in Portugal colours would be "the icing on the cake".[/p][p]"[b]Scoring my 1,000th goal for ​the national team would be the culmination of something – a beautiful story[/b]," he said. "[b]It wouldn't be the end of it, but it would be a beautiful story[/b]."[/p][p]Ronaldo insisted, however, that ⁠he was not consumed by the ​chase.[/p][p]"[b]I've already admitted that I want to get there, and I will get there[/b]," he said. "[b]An obsession? No ... The rest is about enjoying it, enjoying every day[/b]."[/p][h2]Productive talks[/h2][p]Ronaldo acknowledged he had considered his international future after Portugal's World Cup exit, but said talks with the Portuguese FA and ‌Jesus convinced him to continue.[/p][p]"[b]They count on me. I still believe that I'm able to help the national team[/b]," he said. "[b]The most important point is to be able, inside the pitch, to score goals and help the team to win games[/b].[/p][p]"[b]If the manager doesn't count on me, I can leave today – no problem at all... When I feel that I'm not doing anything here, that I'm not contributing on the pitch, not scoring goals, creating a bad atmosphere, or that they don't want me here, I'll be the first to pack my bags[/b]."[/p][embed guid="fead3fae-1555-46a6-8f14-e3beaccbec68" url="https://x.com/selecaoportugal/status/2102792019001086179" social-type="twitter" /][p]Pressed on retirement, Ronaldo refused to draw a clear line under his career.[/p][p]"[b]I learnt something ‌from my late 30s onwards, which is to live in the moment, don't think about ​tomorrow,[/b]" he said.[/p][p]"[b]Is it possible? Yes. Highly likely? Yes. But will it happen? No, ‌I don't know[/b]."[/p][p]Ronaldo also bristled at criticism, saying media outlets had been trying to "kill" him for years.[/p][p]"[b]That's not going to happen under any circumstances – not even with a shotgun[/b]," he said. "[b]And even so, I still manage to dodge the bullet[/b]."[/p][p]Ronaldo may be 21 goals from four figures and perhaps closer to the exit than he cares to ⁠admit, but for now he remains exactly ⁠where he likes to be: in Portugal's ‌shirt, in front of the cameras, and dodging bullets with a smile.[/p]