2023-09-06 21:18:59
Veteran Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed a renewed desire to achieve “more” with his country and “go even further” from his record achievement, which made him the first player in history to reach 850 goals in his career.
The player confirmed, during a press conference with Portugal in preparation for the 2024 European Cup qualifiers, that he wants more.. adding, “As long as I am able to play, I want to raise the level (ambition) very high. I have to think big.”
The 38-year-old celebrated his 200th international match last June by scoring the only goal in Portugal’s victory over Iceland, which allowed his country to remain at the top of Group X for the 2024 European Cup qualifiers.
And France Football magazine had announced the list of candidates to win the Golden Ball for the year 2023, and the Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo was absent from the expanded list for the first time since 2015, and the player did not comment on the choice and only talked regarding the Portugal national team and his desire to continue with him.
In response to a question regarding his competition with his Argentine rival Lionel Messi, the 2022 World Cup champion in Qatar, Ronaldo replied, “We respect and regarding the historical conflict with Messi. The captain of the Saudi Al-Nasr Club, Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, stated that his competition with his historical rival, Argentine Lionel Messi, the star of Inter Miami, has Expired.
Ronaldo said: “The competition with Messi ended, but it was good. The viewers loved it a lot, but whoever loves Cristiano does not have to hate Lionel or vice versa. We changed the history of football.”
Ronaldo’s period at Real Madrid between 2009-2018 witnessed fierce competition with Messi, who played for Barcelona between 2004 and 2021.
The duo Ronaldo and Messi dominated the football throne for nearly 15 years and monopolized the Golden Ball award given to the best player in the world, as the Argentine crowned it seven times (a record), while the Portuguese won it five times.
The 2016 European champions will meet Slovakia in Bratislava on Friday, then Luxembourg three days later at the Algarve stadium in southern Portugal.
1694038284
#Cristiano #Ronaldo #ignores #Golden #Ball #sends #message #Messi #fans
