Cristiano Ronaldo declared himself the greatest footballer of all time, insisting his legacy does not depend on whether he reaches his target of 1,000 career goals – in an interview that has resurfaced amid the row over his international future. The 41-year-old icon made headlines over the international break for quitting Portugal duty following a bitter fallout with manager Jorge Jesus, picking up a suspension from the Portuguese FA on Saturday.Having now returned to Al-Nassr, where he scored his 980th career goal in the Saudi giants’ 3-0 win over Diriyah on Friday, a lengthy interview in which he branded himself the greatest player in football history was resurfaced by CNN Portugal.While Brazilian legend Pele is officially credited with scoring more than 1,000 goals between 1956 and 1977, Ronaldo is aiming to become the first player of the modern era to reach the milestone, with every one of his goals captured on film. Yet, despite setting himself the remarkable target, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus superstar has admitted he dislikes the ‘obsession’ with reaching 1,000 goals, insisting it will have no bearing on his legacy. ‘People don’t appreciate what I’m doing right now, my goals. They’re more concerned with how many goals I need to get to 1,000. I don’t like it at all,’ he said. Cristiano Ronaldo declared himself the greatest footballer of all time in an interview’Things have to happen naturally. Whether I score 920 goals, 925, 930… I’m the greatest of all time. Period. When it comes to scoring goals, the numbers speak for themselves. If I reach a thousand, it will be fantastic, but I’m not going to sit here and say I have to reach them.’Throughout his career, Ronaldo has been locked in a long-running battle with Lionel Messi for the title of GOAT (greatest of all time), although many fans would still argue that Pele or Diego Maradona deserves the accolade. Messi, 39, received an emotional send-off from Argentina fans during his country’s 3-0 victory over Benin last week, as supporters hailed him as the greatest of all time amid his retirement from international duty.While acknowledging that everyone is entitled to their opinion in the fierce GOAT debate, Ronaldo branded those who refuse to recognise him as a ‘complete player’ as liars. ‘If someone prefers Messi, Pele, or Maradona, that’s a matter of personal taste,’ Ronaldo continued. ‘I respect that. But to say Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t a complete player is a lie. I am the most complete player.’ Ronaldo’s long-standing rival Lionel Messi (left) emotionally retired from Argentina duty last week, with fans long debating which of the two stars is the true GOAT of football Ronaldo compared their rivalry to that of F1 legends Alain Prost (left) and Ayrton Senna (right)
On his rivalry with Messi, the 41-year-old forward added: ‘One has always motivated the other, just like Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in Formula 1.’The icon’s explosive exit from Portugal duty and subsequent suspension threaten to tarnish the final chapter of his illustrious international career, despite having guided his country to Euro 2016 glory and two Nations League titles. Ronaldo released an extraordinary 1,996-word statement accusing Jesus of lying and breaking promises, claiming that the manager had gone back on his word by not bringing him off the substitutes’ bench against Norway on September 27. On his immediate future for both Portugal and Al-Nassr, Ronaldo said: ‘I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Maybe I’ll wake up one day without motivation and not want to play anymore. I really don’t know what could happen.’