EMS News agency

Cristiano Ronaldo shuts down retirement rumours

Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo marked the 1,200th game of his professional career by scoring one goal and assisting another for Al-Nassr.

The 38-year-old helped the Saudi Arabian club beat Al-Riyadh 4-1 to continue their fight for first place in the Saudi Pro League 2023/24.

The Portuguese tapped in Sadio Mane’s cross in the 31st minute to break the deadlock and then set up Otavio just before the half-time whistle with a smooth cross who headed the ball home.

Ronaldo’s longevity took an insane leap as the five-time Ballon d’Or winner played his record 1200th game, taking his illustrious career to a whole new level.

However, despite having played 1,200 matches in 21 years as he made his professional debut with his boyhood club Sporting CP in 2002, El Bicho has no intention of stopping anytime soon and wants to continue playing the game.

“Three more points! Thankful to all my teammates who helped me reach my 1200th match. What a ride, but we’re not done yet,” Ronaldo posted on Instagram.

Ronaldo is turning 39 on February 5 but he has shown no sign of stopping as he has bagged 49 goals this year, just one less than in-form Erling Haaland who has 50.

The former Real Madrid star went from competing with the likes of Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Luis Suarez to the stars of the new generation like Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, and others.

It is worth noting that Ronaldo has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus where he created history and became a legend in some time.

Ronaldo played 438 matches with Madrid where he scored a whopping amount of 450 goals, a record that is likely to remain unbeaten, and provided 131 assists.

With Man United, across his two stints, the forward scored 145 goals and provided 64 assists.

In his 21-year-long career, Ronaldo also won the Ballon d’Or, the highest individual award in football, five times and clinched the UEFA Champions League many times as well.