Cristiano Ronaldo: My family want me to stop playing but I have the passion to carry on

Cristiano Ronaldo is going against the wishes of his family by continuing to play top-level football in his 40s.

The Portugal forward continues to score goals on a regular basis for Saudi Arabian club side Al Nassr and at international level and believes there is no reason to hang up his boots just yet.

Ronaldo has netted 946 times in his glorious career that has taken in spells at Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus and he remains confident he can still cut it at the highest level.

Speaking after being awarded with the Prestígio Award at the Portugal Football Globes gala last night, the 40-year-old said: “I still have the passion for this. My family tells me it’s time to stop, that I don’t need to score 1,000 goals since I’ve already scored over 900.

“But that’s not how I see it. I’m still producing good things, still helping my club and my country. So why stop now? I’m sure that when I finish, I’ll walk away fulfilled because I gave everything. For now, it’s about enjoying the moment. I know I don’t have many years left, but the few that remain, I want to enjoy them to the fullest.”

Goals are no longer an obsession – Ronaldo

Ronaldo has always possessed an unquenchable thirst for goals but he insists that has dimmed and he now just enjoys being able to play.

“To be honest, I don’t see it as an obsession anymore,” he added. “If you’d asked me 20 years ago, maybe I would’ve said something different, that I wanted to conquer the world. But now I see things differently. Age teaches us to think another way. My philosophy is to live day by day, because things can change in an instant. You can’t make long-term plans in this game.”

Portugal can qualify for the World Cup over the next week and give Ronaldo one last shot at performing on the global stage.

Roberto Martinez’s side play qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland and Hungary with wins in both giving them a chance at securing their place in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

“Our goal is to win the next two matches and secure our place at the World Cup,” Ronaldo said. “We’ll think about the tournament later. For now, we need to focus on the present while keeping an eye on what’s ahead. It would be a dream, but one step at a time.

“I’ve been with the national team for 22 years. That alone says a lot about the passion I have for wearing this shirt, for winning trophies, for playing for Portugal.

“I often say, if I could, I’d play soccer only for the national team and not for any club, because that’s the pinnacle of what a footballer can achieve.”