Ronaldo reveals retirement plan which would disappoint his mother's 'dying wish'

Suraj Radia

• 21 Jan 2024 02:53 CST
• 3 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo has opened up where his future lies after Al-Nassr and revealed his plans that could go against the wishes of his mother as he approaches his 39th birthday.

The legendary forward will turn 39 in three weeks and his mother Dolores Aveiro had previously revealed her dreams for her son in 2022, saying: “I already told him: ‘Son, before I die I want to see you playing for Sporting again. It didn’t happen this year but perhaps it will next year.”

However, Ronaldo insisted he has no plans to return to Portugal in his career, describing it as ‘meaningless’ and claimed he was fully committed to Al-Nassr, where he is ‘happy’.

“It's not worth creating expectations, because I have already said that I want to stay in Al-Nassr this year and next year,” Ronaldo told Record. “I feel happy in Saudi Arabia. They treat me well. The tournament has huge potential and they are continuing to grow, contrary to what many people think.”

“Returning to play in the Portuguese league is meaningless. I will turn 39 in a few days, and I will play this remaining season and another year at Al-Nassr, which is what I want the most. And when I'm 40, as my friend José Semedo jokingly says, let's see what happens.

“If I play until the age of forty, it would be a fantastic goal at this level. After that, if everything is fine, 41, 42... we don't know. But the possibility of playing in Portugal is out of the question.”

Ronaldo ‘proud’ to beat Haaland, Kane and Mbappe

Ronaldo gave an in-depth interview after winning the ‘Maradona award’ at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai for scoring more times than any player in world football in 2023, with 54 goals in 59 games for club and country.

There has been speculation that Ronaldo has ambitions to reach 1000 career goals before retiring, having netted just under 900 times so far for club and country in his career.

But Ronaldo refused to entertain the ambition, insisting he was already ‘the best scorer in the history of football’ so he had nothing to prove, even if some would say he is in an ‘easier’ league.

“The 54 goals I scored, there may be those who say that it is easier because I am in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But football professionals know the difficulty of scoring goals, whether in Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain or Portugal. A goal is a goal. Yes, I'm more proud of beating [Erling] Haaland, [Kylian] Mbappe and [Harry] Kane,” Ronaldo said.

“I am the best scorer in the history of football, so getting 900 or 1,000 is the same thing. Before I get to a thousand, I have to get to 900, but people already talk about a thousand as if it's already been done.”