Portugal host Wales in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday, September 24, at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, with kickoff at 7:45pm (18:45 GMT). Al Jazeera Sport will have live build-up from 15:45 GMT ahead of its text commentary stream coverage.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old Portugal captain, spoke on Wednesday at the Portugal Football Summit main stage, a day before the match. He said he still had plenty to offer his country as Jorge Jesus prepares for his first game as national team coach.
Jesus replaced Roberto Martinez after Portugal's World Cup campaign ended in the round of 16 against eventual champions Spain.
Ronaldo is on 979 career goals, 833 for clubs and 146 for Portugal. He is 21 short of the 1,000-goal landmark he has openly targeted.
Asked whether winning the Nations League or reaching four figures mattered more, he grinned and chose both.
"One goal is to achieve both – reaching 1,000 goals and the national team trying to win this Nations League," Ronaldo said at the Portugal Football Summit at the Portuguese FA headquarters outside Lisbon.
"It's a new era with manager Jorge Jesus, whom we all know well; I just hope things go well for him."
Ronaldo said reaching 1,000 in Portugal colours would be "the icing on the cake".
"Scoring my 1,000th goal for the national team would be the culmination of something – a beautiful story," he said. "It wouldn't be the end of it, but it would be a beautiful story."
He insisted, however, that he was not consumed by the chase.
"I've already admitted that I want to get there, and I will get there," he said. "An obsession? No … The rest is about enjoying it, enjoying every day."
Ronaldo acknowledged he had considered his international future after Portugal's World Cup exit, but said talks with the Portuguese FA and Jesus convinced him to continue.
"They count on me. I still believe that I'm able to help the national team," he said. "The most important point is to be able, inside the pitch, to score goals and help the team to win games.
"If the manager doesn't count on me, I can leave today – no problem at all… When I feel that I'm not doing anything here, that I'm not contributing on the pitch, not scoring goals, creating a bad atmosphere, or that they don't want me here, I'll be the first to pack my bags."
Pressed on retirement, Ronaldo refused to draw a clear line under his career.
"I learned something from my late 30s onwards, which is to live in the moment, don't think about tomorrow," he said.
"Is it possible? Yes. Highly likely? Yes. But will it happen? No, I don't know."
Ronaldo also bristled at criticism, saying media outlets had been trying to "kill" him for years.
Source: www.aljazeera.com — Read the original article
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