The 41-year-old considered ending his Portugal career after the World Cup, but returns tonight with one extraordinary milestone still in sight

Cristiano Ronaldo has spent more than two decades rewriting football’s record books.

But just a few months ago, he was seriously considering walking away from international football.

Portugal’s disappointing World Cup exit left Ronaldo thinking about whether the time had finally come to end his extraordinary international career.

He ultimately decided he still had something to offer.

Now, at 41, Ronaldo is preparing to start for Portugal against Wales tonight with another almost ridiculous number within reach.

1,000 career goals.

And he needs just 21 more to get there.

Why did Cristiano Ronaldo consider retiring from Portugal?

Ronaldo captained Portugal at this summer’s World Cup, but their hopes of finally adding the trophy missing from his remarkable collection ended with a last-16 defeat to eventual champions Spain.

Afterwards, retirement crossed his mind.

Asked directly whether he had considered ending his international career, Ronaldo admitted that he had.

But conversations with the Portuguese Football Federation and new manager Jorge Jesus helped convince him to continue.

Ronaldo explained that he still believes he can contribute to the national team, both with goals on the pitch and with his experience away from it.

Speaking ahead of tonight’s Wales game, he also made his position clear.

If the day comes when Portugal no longer needs him, he is prepared to leave.

Until then, he’s staying.

And the numbers help explain why.

How many career goals does Cristiano Ronaldo have?

Ronaldo currently has 979 senior goals for club and country, according to Sky Sports.

That leaves him:

21 goals away from 1,000.

Even by Ronaldo’s standards, four figures would be an extraordinary landmark.

The Portuguese forward has scored across spells with Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr, while also becoming the leading goalscorer in men’s international football.

And despite insisting he isn’t obsessed with reaching 1,000, Ronaldo isn’t pretending the number means nothing to him.

Quite the opposite.

He believes he’ll get there.

Ronaldo has already picked the perfect way to score No. 1,000

There is one scenario Ronaldo appears to like more than any other.

Scoring his 1,000th goal while wearing a Portugal shirt.

He told Sky Sports that reaching the milestone for his country would be a “beautiful story.”

It would be difficult to argue with him.

Ronaldo made his senior Portugal debut all the way back in 2003.

More than two decades later, he is set to win his 234th international cap against Wales.

And his international record currently stands at 146 goals, according to BBC Sport.

That means his pursuit of 1,000 isn’t simply being powered by club football in Saudi Arabia.

Portugal could still play a significant role.

Can Cristiano Ronaldo really reach 1,000 goals?

At 41, the obvious question isn’t whether Ronaldo wants 1,000.

It’s whether he has enough time left to score another 21 goals.

The answer increasingly looks like yes, provided he remains fit and continues playing regularly.

Ronaldo is still scoring for Al-Nassr and has already committed his future to the Saudi club until 2027, potentially giving him plenty more opportunities to chase the landmark.

Portugal also has a run of Nations League fixtures beginning tonight, while Ronaldo’s club schedule gives him further opportunities to chip away at the total.

There is no guarantee of when goal No. 1,000 will arrive.

But Ronaldo himself doesn’t sound like a man who thinks the target is unrealistic.

He said he has already acknowledged that he wants to reach the landmark and believes he will.

That’s quite a statement from a footballer approaching his 42nd birthday.

Then again, very little about Ronaldo’s goalscoring career has followed a normal timeline.

Cristiano Ronaldo will start against Wales tonight

The next opportunity comes almost immediately.

Portugal begin their Nations League campaign against Wales at 7:45 pm UK time tonight, with new manager Jorge Jesus taking charge of his first game.

And there is no uncertainty about whether Ronaldo will be involved.

Jesus has confirmed he will start.

The manager has insisted Ronaldo won’t be selected simply because of his reputation, despite describing him as a symbol of Portuguese football.

His performances will determine whether he continues playing.

For now, Jesus clearly believes his captain still deserves his place.

Tonight could therefore take the equation from:

21 goals to go

to:

20.

Or perhaps even fewer.

Tonight’s stadium makes Ronaldo’s return even more special

There is another reason tonight’s game matters.

Portugal face Wales at Estádio José Alvalade, the home of Sporting CP.

It’s where Ronaldo’s extraordinary senior career began.

He made his Sporting first-team debut in 2002 before his performances attracted the attention of Manchester United.

The rest hardly needs explaining.

Manchester United led to Real Madrid.

Real Madrid brought an astonishing avalanche of goals and trophies.

Juventus followed, then a return to Manchester and eventually Al-Nassr.

More than two decades after leaving Sporting, Ronaldo now returns to the stadium where he first announced himself to senior football while chasing a number that would have seemed almost impossible when it all began.

Ronaldo admitted the setting makes tonight’s game particularly special, describing José Alvalade as the place where his story was effectively opened to the world.

Ronaldo’s next target isn’t only about goals

It would be easy to assume that a player sitting on 979 goals is continuing purely because he wants four figures.

Ronaldo says otherwise.

Portugal are defending Nations League champions, and he wants to win the competition again.

He has already won it twice with his country.

There is also a younger generation emerging around him, including players such as João Neves, Francisco Conceição and Nuno Mendes.

Ronaldo believes part of his role is now setting an example for those players.

Of course, scoring goals remains a fairly significant part of the job too.

And his retirement comments show just how differently the next chapter could have looked.

A few months ago, Cristiano Ronaldo was considering whether his Portugal career had reached its end.

Tonight, he will pull on the shirt again at the stadium where his senior journey began.

979 goals down.

21 to go.

And knowing Ronaldo, he probably won’t want to wait too long for the next one.