Why Cristiano Ronaldo refuses to walk away at 41 as former Man Utd star reveals the driving force

Cristiano Ronaldo is chasing a target that keeps him going at 41. Former Manchester United team-mate Giuseppe Rossi says it is no longer about trophies, it is personal.

Rossi, who played three seasons with Ronaldo at Old Trafford, believes the 1,000-goal milestone is the driving force.

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Ronaldo is already the most prolific scorer in the game's history, with 977 strikes and a lead of more than 50 over Lionel Messi.

Rossi on what keeps Cristiano Ronaldo going

Speaking to GOAL, Rossi said:

'Will Cristiano Ronaldo retire after he scores his 1,000th goal? Maybe. I think it's still one of the reasons he's continued to stick around because at this point it's no longer about winning trophies or any other awards.'

'It's become personal for him to try and achieve everything he wants to achieve. He's one of the most ambitious people out there in the world today, even outside of football, and if he puts his mind to it, and wants to go beyond that 1,000th goal, he will go on and do that too.'

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Rossi has no doubts about the outcome.

'He'll get there. He'll score 1,000 goals. He's already a player we should all celebrate, and a player to learn from, and when he does hang up his boots, he will rightly go down as one of the best players to play the game, ever,' he said.

Ronaldo added to the total with his 977th goal in Al Nassr's 4-0 win at Al Riyadh last week. He also became the first player to score in six World Cups this summer, with three goals in North America at the age of 41.

Portugal fell short of the title, but Rossi was full of praise for the old man of the tournament.

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'I wanted him to score in every single game. All the people that were talking about him, I wanted him to go and shut them up a little bit, and I mean he scored three goals at the World Cup at 41 years of age. I think that's amazing but what a career and what a player,' he said.

That was Rossi's words, and they carry the weight of someone who shared a dressing room with him.

Next up is the Saudi Pro League trip to Al Ettifaq on Tuesday. Twenty-three goals separate him from 1,000, and nobody connected to the game is betting against him getting there.

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