Forward.. Ronaldo Dreams of European Title and Scoring 1000th Goal in His Career

Ronaldo, 41, said: "I have already said that this will probably be the last year of my career, but right now I am focusing on the present. When I play my last match, I will tell everyone about it."

He added that he does not want to set a retirement date and that he will continue playing as long as he feels he can contribute.

He added: "I still believe that I can help the national team achieve what it wants. When I feel that I am no longer contributing, I will be the first to leave."

Ronaldo revealed that he considered ending his international career after Portugal's exit from the 2026 World Cup against Spain in the round of 16, but decided to continue after talks with the new national team coach, Jorge Jesus.

He said: "Yes, I thought about it (international retirement). I always think about my decisions, my future and my present, and that's why I'm here now, because I decided to continue."

He added: "I still believe that I can help the team, not only by scoring goals, but also off the pitch. There is a new young generation, and I want to help the team."

Ronaldo spoke about his pursuit of reaching the 1000th goal in his career, confirming that reaching this number is one of his goals, but it is not an obsession for him.

He said: "I want to reach the 1000th goal, and I will reach it, but it is not an obsession. I want to enjoy the moment, and of course, I really want to achieve this number."

Ronaldo currently has 979 official goals with clubs and the Portuguese national team, including 146 international goals, which means he is 21 goals away from reaching the thousand mark.

He expressed his desire to score the thousandth goal, saying: "Scoring the 1000th goal with the national team (indicating that he will still be playing for the national team) will be the culmination of something great, and it will be a beautiful story."

Ronaldo praised coach Jesus, who took over the national team after Spaniard Roberto Martinez, confirming that the new phase has big goals.

He sent a message of appreciation to Martinez, pointing to the work he did during his tenure with the national team, and considered that the Spanish coach faced continuous criticism during his tenure.

Ronaldo spoke about the criticism he personally faces, saying that he has become accustomed to dealing with it after more than 20 years in football, and that he focuses on what he can control and ignores what he cannot change.

Portugal, the defending European Nations League champions, will start their journey in the new edition of the tournament with a match against Wales on Thursday at the José Alvalade Stadium in the capital Lisbon, in the first official match for the national team under Jesus' leadership.