Cristiano Ronaldo insists he is focused on being the perfect team member at his Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr rather than collecting more individual accolades in the twilight of his career.
The 39-year-old scored in Al Nassr’s 2-1 win over Al Rayyan of Qatar in their AFC Champions League Group B match on Monday.
It was the club’s fourth successive victory in all competitions under new coach Stefano Pioli, who replaced Luis Castro last month.
“It was a strong and difficult match like all the matches in the AFC Champions League, but the most important thing is that we created many chances and defended well to prevent the opponent from creating easy chances,” Ronaldo told a news conference.
“It is not important any more whether I am the best or not, I no longer care about that. It is good for a player to score goals, but for me, it is better for the team to win.
“I am used to breaking records and I no longer look for them. The most important thing for me now is to enjoy and help Al Nassr and my teammates to win.”
Ronaldo became the top scorer in a single season in the league last May with 35 goals.
The Portugal captain also scored his 901st career goal in a 2-1 win over Scotland in the Nations League last month.
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“My goal against Al Rayyan was different and important because my father would have been happy with it if he was alive, as today [yesterday] is his birthday,” the former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United forward added.
Last month, Ronaldo became the first individual to reach a billion followers across his social media accounts, aided by his newly launched YouTube channel, which generated more than 60 million subscribers in just more than three weeks.
He topped Forbes’s list of the best-paid athletes this year as his earnings off the pitch reached $60m, boosted by his large social media following.
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, has scored 131 goals for Portugal and contributed significantly to top European club teams, including 450 goals for Real Madrid, 145 for Manchester United, 101 for Juventus and five for his first club, Sporting CP.
In August, he received a special award from UEFA in recognition of his record-breaking achievements in the Champions League.
He recently dismissed suggestions he had considered ending his international career in the near future, adding that criticism after he failed to score in the 2024 European Championship did not worry him.
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