Cristiano Ronaldo says he is football’s greatest as 1,000-goal target nears

Cristiano Ronaldo says his current performances are being overlooked because the focus is increasingly on whether he can reach 1,000 career goals.

The Al-Nassr captain scored his 980th goal when he found the net against Al-Diriyah in the Saudi league.

“People do not appreciate the level I am producing at the moment or the goals I am scoring,” Ronaldo told CNN. “What concerns them is how many goals I have left to reach 1,000.”

The 41-year-old Portugal forward said he would regard reaching the milestone as a significant achievement, but insisted it would not alter his view of his place in football history.

“Things should happen naturally,” he said. “Even if I score 920 goals, 925 or 930, I am the best player in history, full stop. The numbers speak for themselves.”

Ronaldo added: “If I reach 1,000 goals, it will be great and it is a target I aspire to, but I am not thinking too far ahead.”

He also admitted he cannot say with certainty how long he will continue playing.

“As for my long-term future, I do not know what will happen tomorrow,” Ronaldo said. “Perhaps I will wake up one day without the motivation and no longer want to play. Quite simply, I do not know.”

Ronaldo is the leading scorer in Al-Nassr’s Saudi league history, with 106 goals, and is closing in on 1,000 goals across his professional career. He needs 20 more to reach the landmark.

The Portuguese star acknowledged that supporters may place other football greats above him, but rejected the suggestion that he is not an all-round player.

“If someone prefers Lionel Messi, Pele or Diego Armando Maradona, that is a matter of personal taste and I respect it,” he said. “But to claim that I am not a complete player is a big lie. I am the most complete player in history.”