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Cristiano Ronaldo says his biggest ambition is to have his name written in “golden letters in the history of world football.”
The Manchester United and Portugal star took to Instagram to explain exactly what he wants from his remaining time as a player.
It follows comments directed towards the forward by Pascal Ferré, the editor of France Football. Ferré told the New York Times that Ronaldo said his only ambition is to retire with more Ballon d’Or awards than Lionel Messi.
The Argentine won the award for a record seventh time on Monday evening. Ronaldo finished in sixth place. The duo lifted the prize every year from 2008 to 2017.
Leo Messi wins record 7th Ballon d'Or award 🥇🏆#ballondor | #UCL pic.twitter.com/rkT3JYzSvn
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 29, 2021
Croatia midfielder Luka Modric stopped that trend in 2018. But Messi has now won the last two, with the award cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ex-Barcelona winger now has two more Ballon d’Or awards than the ex-Real Madrid attacker.
Ronaldo lays out ambitions
Ronaldo has, of course, won much more than a handful of Ballon d’Or trophies. The attacker’s honours list is one of the greatest the game has ever seen.
It includes three Premier League titles, two La Liga titles and two Serie A titles. There are also five Champions League trophies on that list. And internationally, he lifted the European Championship trophy in 2016.
The forward is also the all-time top scorer in men’s international football with 115. And it is a similar situation in the Champions League, where his 140 goals place him top of the pile.
Despite all of that success, the Portugal international is keen to add to his trophy cabinet.
“The greatest ambition of my career is to win trophies at club and international level, for the clubs that I play for and my national team,” Ronaldo said on Instagram.
“The greatest ambition of my career is to set a good example for everyone who is or wants to be a professional footballer.
“My biggest career ambition is to have my name written in golden letters in the history of world football.”
Focus now on Man Utd
Ronaldo added that his focus remains solely on continuing to turn things around at Man Utd. The club have bounced back in recent weeks following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Former midfielder Michael Carrick firstly oversaw a Champions League group stage win over Villarreal, in which Ronaldo scored the opening goal. That victory was followed by a draw at league leaders Chelsea. Ralf Rangnick has since been appointed interim manager.
The club’s star man has inevitably been heavily involved in helping United’s push for success this season. He is their top scorer in all competitions with ten. Four of those have come in the Premier League, with the other six arriving in the Champions League.
“I finish by saying that my focus is already on Manchester United’s next game and everything that we can still achieve this season alongside my teammates and our fans,” he wrote. “As for the rest, the rest is just that…”
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