Ronaldo drops retirement hint as he shifts focus away from individual records

Cristiano Ronaldo says his focus has shifted away from trying to break individual records as he does not have “much time left on the pitch”.

The 39-year-old scored what proved to be the match-winning goal in a 2-1 victory for Al-Nassr over Al-Rayyan of Qatar in their AFC Champions League Group B match on Monday.

It was his 904th career goal, having recently hit the 900-landmark during Portugal’s Nations League opener against Croatia.

With Al-Nassr currently on a four-match winning streak in all competitions under new manager Stefano Pioli, Ronaldo insisted his aim was to help the team where he could instead of chasing personal achievements.

“It was a strong and difficult match, like all the matches in the AFC Champions League, but the most important thing is that we created many chances and defended well to prevent the opponent from creating easy chances,” Ronaldo told a press conference after the match.

“I’m just enjoying playing football now, as I know I don’t have much time left on the pitch.

“It is not important anymore whether I am the best or not, I no longer care about that. It is good for a player to score goals, but for me, it is better for the team to win.

Hard work pays off. Let’s keep going! pic.twitter.com/HXMkWZJCyF

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) September 30, 2024

“I am used to breaking records and I no longer look for them. The most important thing for me now is to enjoy and help Al-Nassr and my teammates to win.”

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored 71 goals since joining Al-Nassr in December 2022.

Last season, he became the top scorer in a single season in the Saudi Pro League, netting 35 times as the team finished second behind Al-Hilal.