Cristiano Ronaldo insists he has no plans to end Juventus career and retire any time soon

Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Juventus: Getty
Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Juventus: Getty

Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted he has no plans to retire from football any time soon after scoring his 700th career goal.

The Juventus forward admitted recently that the thought of his post-playing days had crossed his mind, but has now clarified that he is not thinking of retiring.

Indeed, Ronaldo believes his performances show he is still able to thrive at the highest level.

“Age is just a number. It does not mean that at 34, 35, 36, you are at the end of your career,” Ronaldo said ahead of his side’s Champions League clash with Lokomotiv Moscow.

“I can show that with my performances, how I play, the way I play, the way I still feel good, sharp, thinking about the game, more mature.

“This makes the difference.”

The 34-year-old made his first team debut for Sporting Lisbon in 2002.

He remains one of the world’s best players, and is among the favourites for the Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best player after being named on the 30-man shortlist on Monday.

Yet Ronaldo insists that personal awards are secondary to the achievements of the team, and that he is focused on securing as much success as possible for the Turin-based club.

“We want to win Serie A, we want to win the Cup, the Champions League,” Ronaldo said.

“Juventus should think big. We are going to try to win all the trophies. We know it will be difficult, especially the league and the Champions League, but I think it is possible. Everything is possible.

“In terms of individual [honours], I have nothing to say as this is individual. It is not the most important thing,” Ronaldo added.

“The most important is the collective awards. If you win the collective awards, you have more chance to win the individual awards... The Ballon d’Or is for me in second place.”

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