900 OFFICIAL GOALS for Cristiano Ronaldo 🤯 'INCREDIBLE! What a player!' - Craig Burley | ESPN FC

this is in the Nations League then PA kicking off their campaign with a victory and taking all three points but it is Cristiano Ronaldo who will dominate the headlines around the world after getting his 900th goal you take a look lonel Messi his closest compare with 838 some Qui quick MTH would suggest that is 62 more than Messi Pelle then with 765 from Mario at 756 and Frank push cast at 753 to watch lyrical about Cristiano Ronaldo we welcome Julian laon into the show no matter your opinion about him Jules of course Messi fans aren't his biggest fans there are people who absolutely love him 900 goals there's no questioning that ah it's incredible really and the longevity of course to be able to score that many goals you still have to be at your best for 20 years and that's what he's done and it's just incredible to see him even now 39 he will be 14 in February to still be able to score with talked enough about his euros and how disappointing this was and that he was not really at the right level for that kind of competition tonight in a game where Portugal struggled that time especially in the second half in terms of balance of their team and considering chances even if they they ended up winning the game for him to be in that position and like Craig said it's the perfect cross and you knew even when Nuno Mendes was about to take that cross you knew exactly where the ball will end up and that chano would be there wherever that ball ended up and he was there and perfect contact perfect finish he called of those 900 he would have scored I don't know maybe 200 like that he knew exactly where the ball was going to come and how he would finish it it it really is some achievement no it's a great achievement and and and the career is incredible like Messi's and you know the commitment to turn up and play for your country uh the amount of caps he's got the desire everything is credible incredible what a player I cannot say any more about him and Messi in this era they have been generational talents incredible but this is all about numbers nothing else at the Euros we discussed it when we got to The Knockout stages he was a passenger so he's padding all these numbers now and he's turning up for his country but the World Cup is two years away is he going to be better or worse so where is the long-term vision for a guy for a country for a manager who's trying to build the Portugal because you're not going to tell me in two years time Ronaldo is going to be a better fitter quicker player he's not he struggled at the European championships he's got all this time in between he's playing in Saudi yes he's scoring for his country here but where is the longevity and the decision making and the Forward Thinking of Portugal when we have two years to this Elite level World Cup in the United States and some other countries where's the vision I don't get it so it's it's just about numbers uh he addressed it actually he addressed it half the game when he was talking uh about the achieving 900 goals and talking about maybe padding out those stats here what we had to say Portugal winning Euros is equivalent to winning a World Cup obviously he's won the Euros with Portugal I've already won two TR Portugal that I really wanted I'm not motivated by that I'm motivated by enjoying football and the records come naturally Stevie [Laughter] why would he say that why would he say the Euros is the same as a World Cup uh yes that's that I'm trying to be more positive about Ronaldo but I feel this is going to take us in a different direction well listen regardless of what's what the situation now with Portugal I don't disagree with an and Craig said right now but the fact he's got 900 goals just tells you how good he is it just tells you that when it comes to the final third of of the of the pitch of the field he knows exactly what's going on he understands who's on the ball where they're going to put it how it's going to come in the pace it's going to be at he understands where to be all the time I mean that is just that is just pure football Instinct and talent that's what that is I think we should just forget about the quote because it doesn't make any sense how about he just how about you just think that 900 times this guy has got himself in the r position had the composure and the and the football knowledge to put the ball in the back of the net 900 times that's frightening no it's incred it's in it's incredible but it doesn't get away no it do from the D we should not have a d elction of Duty here to talk about the big picture which is really Portugal and the the multi level of talent they have and a manager who didn't have the stomach to make the big decision at the euros and Ronaldo as the Euros went on was a passenger this that's not his fault well I it's not his fault if the guy not doesn't have the G to drop him so he's just going to keep scoring goals when he gets the chance and then eventually somebody is going to say thanks very much but it's time but until then he's just going to keeps going so I have no I really and the records are incredible I don't decry anything he's done I've sat back we've all sat back for 10 to 15 years watching him going well I remember saying once will we ever see him and Messi by the way will we ever see performances and numbers like this again I don't think mbappe or any of the other ones will get there I don't not not not on a yearly basis that they churned it out every year every year and that is fact but the bigger picture is he scores in the qualifiers and the friendlies he scores in the Nations league and the numbers go up and he's tell that's great but the big story here the big picture here is we have a we have a manager who's basically at the moment going to be leading the line at the World Cup in America what age will he be then jokes will probably know better than me 38 so what will he be the world cup jokes he'd be 41 my God he' be 41 so we so we saying a manager of Portugal who have got all this Talent level and don't have a guy of CHR Ronaldo's Talent when he was in his 20s and his early 30s but are we really saying he's going to lead the line for this country at 41 in America and that's what the way Roberto Martinez is going to go is that really well every Everything points in that direction doesn't it what we've seen points and everything points to Port getting knocked out again and we put a sledgehammer over Roberto Martinez's head making that decision Jules Euro say the world I guess you got no problem with that so I mean what what Craig said I think I'm I'm on Craig side on this I don't think he should be there I don't think I don't think he would be good enough anymore in two years time in the US for that World Cup I Luis Suarez just announced that he was retiring from International Football and what he said was like I know in two years time I can't do it at the World Cup so it's better for me to stop now there's no point I he could still be playing in qualifiers in K bow and those kind of games but he knows that in two years time he too far away he won't be there and I think he's the same for Cristiano and it's true you can score goals tonight of course and by the way 900 goals that means for 20 years he scor 45 goals a season there's some top Strikers in the career they would never get to 45 in one season let alone 20 of them so that it's remarkable and we're not taking anything away from crisano by saying that this is all good but right now as we saw the Euros is just not good enough anymore in the cup is the best of the best you play against the best defenders for the best countries and I don't think he can do anymore so why keeping him now when you can have two years of building your team if you're Roberto Martinez building an incredible Squad towards the World Cup 2026 and making sure that that team will be ready for them to compete to go and win it because they will be among the favorite but but Cristiano won't be good enough to lead the line there in two years time we know that already so why not just saying to him listen thank you for everything you the uh most cup ever the most goals International go ever all of that is amazing one of the greatest of all time there's no doubt but now I'm Roberto Martinez I need to build this squad for 2026 and you you won't be there you can't be there then so let me play okay Gonzalo Ramos is in now but let me play Rafa La as a nine let me do this let me try something different instead and we saw it tonight yeah he scor but apart from the goal I'm sorry again in in his old game all around he was not good enough I was walk forget about it but you can he will absolutely 100% not be playing in the World Cup that I'll tell you I'll tell you why because the in the second half he picked a ball up on the wi area on the halfway line and was on his own and was running with it my goodness you know you you do exercises where they put an elastic band on you and you you run against the force the only thing was he didn't have the elastic band on I mean he was he was toiling saw we're talking about 2 years time D there is absolutely no way in two years time he's going to be leading Portugal but it's going to have to be his decision not Martinez is well well he's got 900 goal Well it can't be it can't be because if it's his decision he's never going to stop Martinez Martinez between now and then has to pull the plug but what what because he won't be able to that's the thing I'm just telling you haven't he's I talked about him in the penalty box that's a different ball game than playing foot playing football you know sure if you're going to close the ball down early from the front players then you can forget that I mean there are so many reasons why you shouldn't be playing but the fact that he's maybe got that 900 career goal maybe maybe Martinez is is thinking okay he's got it Now's the Time that's that's what should be happening but he will not be leading the line I'll put any money you want on down he will not be leading the line in two years time he won't much more can't run now so well and that's why he really should be saying to the manager who doesn't have the gumption he needs to grow up here if we're going to be honest with you I walked by in the way at the studio he was in press conference he's brilliant in press conferences Roberto Martinez I saw him on the screen uh ah lapping up you lapping up the usual what what do I say hyper ball hyperbole yeah oh there you go yeah lapping up he's absolutely brilliant at that but his job was to take a a very good Belgium side further he what was he would have get a semi-final at one point but he didn't it's not what they wanted he's not he's not got the Portugal job to my side Cristiano Ronaldo's back he's there to take Portugal further and be better than Fernando Santos had them who was quite structured in the way that he played his teams and had success but they want to evolve as a country in a team and go forward they did not they did not at the Euros right and by continuing to play them as uh Julian said you know what do International managers moan about I never have a CH I don't have enough time to work with the players I don't have enough training sessions I can't work on this well you're not working on anything new you only work on something new for two years but why does Ronaldo not just say listen look at these numbers you know this has been brilliant but it's it's it's a bridge too far rather than I think he'll try and hang on and As Stevie said in two years time he's going to look like he's running in I mean he's already struggling that's normal yeah why go out with everybody ourselves included going oh my God what's he doing you know just can't do it anymore at that level maybe he'll be maybe he'll surprise us maybe he goes to the World Cup and be brilliant I don't think so I absolutely I absolutely don't think so and that's why this is great but from a coaching managing and Country perspective this is not looking at the big picture for this team going forward and as I said at the start of this show this is just massaging the numbers now which are great don't get me wrong they're fantastic but we're massaging the numbers we're not taking a country forward in the Striking Department [Music]