Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez feels that Cristiano Ronaldo’s desire to reach 1000 career goals before retirement has not become an ‘obsession’. The Al Nassr star is currently on 960 career goals.
Having turned 41 this year, he is still scoring goals but recently suffered an injury that has ruled him out for a few weeks. He wasn’t included in the Portugal squad for their international friendlies this month. But according to Martinez, he will be back in action for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“I don’t agree with that. If Cristiano had played the European Championship focused on scoring a goal to break another record, the assist against Turkey for Bruno Fernandes wouldn’t have happened”, he said, according to goal.com.
“It’s not true that our players have records or personal goals in mind. The only thing I saw at the European Championship was a different kind of responsibility in the more experienced players, a maximum responsibility to have a top performance in the tournament.”
When pressed on revealing if Ronaldo had a goal target, he said, “No, because I don’t see Cris playing with the anxiety or intention of reaching 1,000 goals. Whether he has 950 or 1,050 goals, he has the same legacy. It won’t change anything. That’s outside talk.”
Martinez also feels that Ronaldo shares his mindset. “Absolutely. Because we’ve had games where Cris faces the goal and looks for the assist. It’s an aspect I value a lot. It’s very important. A striker isn’t just about scoring goals, it’s about making the right decisions inside the box. That’s what assists are for. And assists are more important than goals, in general. ,” he said.
“We’re talking about a striker who has 25 goals in 30 games. But I value behaviour inside the box much more. And Cristiano doesn’t have the obsession that people talk about from the outside regarding his 1,000th goal. Because his behavior isn’t like that. I can’t say for the club, but here with the national team it’s not like that,” he added.
