Cristiano Ronaldo Júnior Marks Milestone with First U16 Goal for Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo Júnior netted his inaugural goal for the Portugal U16 team during their 3-0 victory against Wales. This significant moment was highlighted in a recent match.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, his father, Cristiano Ronaldo, asserted that his legacy won’t hinge on winning the FIFA World Cup. The five-time Ballon d’Or recipient holds an impressive total of 952 career goals and is recognized as the leading scorer in men’s international football with 143 goals to his name. The World Cup remains the only major accolade absent from his illustrious career.
“If you ask me whether winning the World Cup is a dream, I would say no, it is not,” the 40-year-old remarked, with further details of the interview set to release soon.
The captain of Portugal expressed that it is unfair for a single tournament to define a player’s entire career. “What does it define?” he questioned. “To decide if I’m amongst the best in history based on one competition, which consists of six or seven matches? Do you think that’s fair?”
Ronaldo, who secured four of his five Champions League titles while playing for Real Madrid, has constantly been compared to Lionel Messi throughout his career. Messi, the record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, recently described winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina after several past attempts as “the dream of my life.”
Ronaldo has celebrated numerous achievements with the Portuguese national team, including leading them to victory in the Euro 2016 tournament and the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and again this summer. He holds the record as the only player to have participated in six European Championships and is the competition’s all-time top scorer with 14 goals. He maintains that there is no contest regarding who stands as the greatest in history.
“Is Messi better than me? I disagree. I don’t want to show humility,” said Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo is anticipated to captain Portugal in the upcoming 2026 World Cup set to take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This tournament will be Portugal’s first without Diogo Jota, who tragically passed away in a car crash in July. Although Ronaldo did not attend Jota’s funeral, he expressed deep sorrow over the unexpected loss of the Liverpool forward.
“I was in disbelief when I received the messages,” Ronaldo shared. “I cried a lot. It was an incredibly tough time for everyone—families, friends, teammates, and the nation. Overall, I was devastated. It was devastating news.”
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