ROY KEANE MAKES CRISTIANO RONALDO FEELINGS CLEAR AFTER PORTUGAL CRITICISM

Roy Keane claims that Cristiano Ronaldo is still 'the best' finisher in world football after scoring the 900th goal of his astounding career.

Ronaldo, 39, hit yet another incredible milestone in Lisbon on Thursday by doubling Portugal's lead over Croatia during a Nations League victory. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus superstar broke down in tears as he celebrated, having failed to score a single goal for his country at Euro 2024.

Ronaldo's lacklustre performances in Germany led to fierce criticism and raised questions over his usually assured role in Portugal's starting XI, as they lost to France on penalties in the quarter-finals. But Keane has leapt to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's defence, heaping praise on his ex-United team-mate, who's now scored 131 goals in international football.

Analysing Ronaldo's close-range finish after getting on the end of a Nuno Mendes cross against Croatia, Keane told ITV : "That was a bit of an issue [not scoring at the Euros], but 900 goals. If you put the ball in those areas he's still the best in the world."

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In recent years, Keane has often come to Ronaldo's defence when the Portuguese has been criticised for his ailing all-round game. But he's still banging in the goals for Portugal and Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, with goal number 1,000 next on his wish-list.

"I want to reach 1,000 goals," Ronaldo recently declared on former United team-mate Rio Ferdinand's YouTube channel. "If I don't have any injuries, this for me is the most important [thing]. I want that."

With the next World Cup still two years away, he may well hit the 1,000 mark before needing to make a decision on his potential involvement. Asked this week whether he's hungry to playing at the tournament in 2026, Ronaldo replied: "Portugal winning the Euros [in 2016] is equivalent to winning a World Cup.

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"I've already won two trophies for Portugal that I really wanted. I'm not motivated by that. I'm motivated by enjoying football and the records come naturally."

He added regarding his milestone of 900 goals, as Portugal held on for a 2-1 win: "It means a lot. It was a milestone I wanted to reach for a long time. I knew I would reach this number, because as I continue to play, it would happen naturally."

"It was emotional because it's a milestone," he said. "It seems like any other milestone, but only I know, and the people around me, how hard it is to work every day, to be physically and psychologically fit, to score 900 goals. It's a unique milestone in my career."

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2024-09-08T12:44:35Z dg43tfdfdgfd