Cristiano Ronaldo might not be done playing in Europe after all.
During Thursday’s UEFA Champions League draw in Monaco, Ronaldo was presented an award for being the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer with 140 goals. The 39-year-old hasn’t played in the competition since March 2022 after making a shock move to the Saudi Pro League the same year, but he hasn’t ruled out a return to Europe’s most prestigious club tournament.
“As you know, Champions League, it’s the highest in football,” Ronaldo said. “I had an opportunity, not only you know the record speaks for itself, but I don’t mean that, I mean the pleasure to play that competition. It’s our motivation. When you listen to the music, you turn on. For me, it was special …
“Football, you never know what’s going to happen, let’s see what the future brings.”
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Ronaldo’s contract with Al Nassr expires in June 2025. While he could attempt to make a return to Europe at the age of 40, he recently said that it’s “likely” that Al Nassr will be his last club.
If Ronaldo doesn’t make another UEFA Champions League appearance before he retires, he’ll still have a good lead on the record for most Champions League appearances (183) by a single player; FC Bayern Munich midfielder Thomas Müller is the next-closest active player in Europe with 151 appearances.
Ronaldo has won the UEFA Champions League five times: once with Manchester United and four times with Real Madrid. He’s one of five players with five or more UEFA Champions League titles.
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Cristiano Ronaldo
UEFA Champions League
Real Madrid
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