"He has the red carpet rolled out for him" - Ex-Manchester United star claims opponents are helping Cristiano Ronaldo reach 1000 goals target

Former Manchester United forward Teddy Sheringham has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi Pro League opponents are happy to let him score goals. He stated that defenders are more interested in getting his shirt after the game than making a name for themselves by stopping him.

Speaking to Prime Casino (via GOAL), Sheringham stated that it will be difficult for Ronaldo to reach 1000 goals as he is 40 years old. He believes that the Portuguese superstar is getting some help from the opponents. Sheringham said:

“I think Ronaldo will get to 1,000 goals, especially with the league that he's playing in. I think he could probably get to 1,000 goals in the next two seasons. But again, I've talked about it before, it gets harder when you get older as a player. Once you get past that 40th birthday. Then again, he's not going to be getting kicked about all over the place. He has the red carpet rolled out for him every time he steps onto the pitch and the centre-halves that he's playing against are probably saying, Cristiano, let me see what you can do, and you can score a goal so I can applaud you, and get your shirt afterwards.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 17 goals in 22 Saudi Pro League matches this season. He has another six in five AFC Champions League matches, and two more in the Saudi Super Cup.

"I can't think long term anymore" - When Cristiano Ronaldo claimed he might be running out of time to score 1000 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo admitted in November 2024 that he is facing a race against time to 1000 goals in his career. He stated that it has started getting hard for him on the pitch, and he is questioning his aim to score 1000 goals.

Ronaldo told the media after receiving the Quinas de Platina trophy (via ESPN):

"I now face my life living in the moment. I can't think long term anymore. I can no longer think about what I said publicly that I wanted to reach 1,000 goals. But it seems that everything is easy now, just last month I reached 900. It's about living in the moment, enjoying the moment, seeing the response that my legs will give me in the next few years. One thousand goals is great, but if it doesn't come, I'm already the player in history with the most goals."

Cristiano Ronaldo currently has 925 goals to his name and is in talks to extend his deal at Al Nassr. The Portuguese superstar wants to continue in the Saudi Pro League and has stated that Al Nassr will be the final club of his career.