Ronaldo claims to be the greatest of all time, surpassing Pele and Maradona.

Ronaldo needs just 20 more goals to reach the milestone of 1,000 career goals—a feat no other footballer in history has achieved. Standing on the verge of such a historic achievement, the Portuguese superstar harbors a sense of grievance alongside his joy; he feels he is not receiving the recognition he deserves despite scoring so many goals. He believes his performance, his consistency in scoring, and even his standing in football history are not being properly appreciated.

For him, age is merely a number. Even past the age of 40, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to remind the football world that no greater goal-scoring machine has ever been born. In an interview with CNN Portugal, the "Prince of Portugal" asserted his claim to being the greatest of all time, stating, "The numbers next to my name speak for themselves."

Yet, just hours after its release, that explosive interview suddenly vanished from the channel's website!

However, for Ronaldo himself, the answer to who the greatest footballer in history is remains crystal clear. There is no hesitation or doubt; he views himself as the best, citing his goal tally as proof. Speaking to CNN Portugal, the 41-year-old remarked, "People aren't properly appreciating the form I'm in or the goals I've scored."

Across his professional career—spanning both club and national teams—Ronaldo has netted 980 goals in 1,337 matches. Despite being so close to this incredible milestone, the Al-Nassr forward refuses to let the figure become a burden. When asked during the interview if reaching the 1,000-goal mark was his primary objective, Ronaldo replied, "Things should just happen naturally."

He then followed up with his trademark confident declaration regarding his greatness: "Even if I had scored 920, 925, or 930 goals, I would still be the greatest in history. That’s the bottom line. The numbers speak for themselves." "Reaching 1,000 goals would be extraordinary. It is a goal. However, I do not think about the long term."

Ronaldo is currently at the center of a heated controversy following his abrupt departure from the Portugal national team camp and a subsequent temporary suspension. He left the national team camp midway through the most recent international break. Last Saturday, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced an investigation into disciplinary breaches regarding the incident, and the Portuguese star has also faced a temporary suspension.

However, even before that suspension, Ronaldo had accused Portugal coach Jorge Jesus of breaking a promise. He claimed that Jesus failed to keep his word. Moreover, he alleged that the coach had misrepresented the events surrounding his sudden departure from the national team. Ronaldo explained his position in a lengthy, 1,740-word statement released on social media. He stated that he has no plans to retire from the national team just yet; instead, he hopes to play "one or more farewell matches" in the Portugal jersey.

In the statement, Ronaldo revealed that he and Jesus had an agreement: Coach Jesus was to express regret for not fielding him in the Nations League match against Norway and apologize by acknowledging his standing in football as being on par with Pelé or Diego Maradona. However, the coach did not keep his promise.

Ronaldo has been playing for the Portugal national team since 2003. He holds the record for the most goals scored by a male player in international football, with 146 goals. His club career has seen him play for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. He played two separate stints at Manchester United and is currently with Al-Nassr.

However, Ronaldo himself has not confirmed exactly when this illustrious career will come to an end. A month ago, he indicated that he would likely retire once the club season concludes next June.

The topic of retirement also came up during an interview with CNN. This time, however, there was a note of uncertainty in Ronaldo's words: "I don't know what will happen tomorrow. I might wake up and find I have no motivation to play. Then I won't want to play anymore. Honestly, I don't know."

A peculiar incident, however, surrounded Ronaldo's interview. Just hours after its publication, CNN Portugal removed both the video and the written transcript. CNN Portugal offered no explanation as to why it was taken down.