{
  "id": 9379040,
  "title": "Cristiano Ronaldo chasing 1,000th goal, confirms Portugal future",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/cristiano-ronaldo-chasing-1-000th-goal-confirms-portugal-future",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T16:29:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/sport/football/cristiano-ronaldo-chasing-1000th-goal-confirms-portugal-future-1.500685541"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old footballer, has expressed his intention to continue playing for the Portuguese national team as he strives to reach the milestone of scoring 1,000 career goals. Currently, Ronaldo is just 21 goals away from this historic achievement. Despite facing criticism from some quarters, Ronaldo remains confident that his contributions will be valuable to the national team.\n\nThe football star was recently asked whether he would prefer to score his 1,000th goal with Al Nassr or with the national team. Ronaldo firmly stated, \"With the national team, of course. Absolutely, absolutely.\" He emphasized that this decision was supported by his coach and numerous discussions with the Portugal federation president, Pedro Proença, and new head coach Jorge Jesus.\n\nRonaldo reflected on his international future following Portugal's elimination from the World Cup in the round of 16. Upon consideration of his options, he decided to stay committed to the national team. Ronaldo acknowledged that he had contemplated leaving international football but ultimately chose to continue playing for Portugal.\n\nThe veteran forward acknowledged the arrival of a new generation of players but stressed that his primary focus remains on scoring goals and contributing to the team's success on the field. Ronaldo also made it clear that if he felt he was no longer needed or wanted by the national team, he would leave willingly. He emphasized that the Portuguese football community relies on him and that he will continue to play as long as he remains valuable to the team.",
  "summary": "Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed he has decided to continue playing for Portugal as he targets 1,000 career goals. The 41-year-old, who is just 21 goals away from the milestone, said he still believes he can contribute to the national team despite criticism from some quarters. Cristiano, a simple question: would you prefer to score your 1000th goal with Al Nassr or with the national team? Thank…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}