Cristiano Ronaldo has already outlined his retirement timeline, stating he will only hang up his boots after reaching 1,000 career goals. The 41-year-old currently sits on 973 goals and was unable to add to that tally during Portugal's 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup.
Ronaldo's Goal Milestone
The Portugal captain has now gone ten appearances without a goal in international tournaments, but he remains prolific at club level for Al-Nassr. This season, he scored 30 goals in 37 games across all competitions, and last December he publicly announced his pursuit of the unprecedented 1,000-goal milestone.
After being named the Best Middle East Player at the Globe Soccer Awards, Ronaldo said: "It's hard to continue playing, but I am motivated. My passion is high and I want to continue. It doesn't matter where I play, whether in the Middle East or Europe. I always enjoy playing football and I want to keep going. You know what my goal is. I want to win trophies and I want to reach that number [1,000 goals] that you all know. I will reach the number for sure, if no injuries."
If he maintains his current scoring rate, the former Manchester United star is likely to reach the 1,000-goal mark. However, that did not shield him from criticism following his underwhelming performance on Wednesday. Ronaldo became only the second player, after Lionel Messi earlier that day, to compete in a record sixth World Cup tournament.
Criticism from Thierry Henry
Ronaldo's display saw him miss two chances that could have secured all three points for Portugal, drawing sharp criticism from Thierry Henry. The French legend accused Ronaldo of prioritizing his personal goal-scoring ambitions over the team's needs.
Speaking on Fox Sports, Henry highlighted a moment when Ronaldo blocked Bruno Fernandes from having an easy scoring opportunity. He explained: "The team needs to score, not you need to score. Because he wants to score, he goes into the path of Bruno Fernandes. If he goes into the six-yard box, you've been in that situation, Alexi [Lalas, fellow pundit], you would have had to follow him. Then it would have been a tap-in for Bruno Fernandes."
Henry added: "Because he wants to score, he goes in the path of the backpass. You see both players and it's easier for you to defend. And that's my thing, the team needs to score, not you."
