Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo was given the best scorer award at the 2022 Gala Quinas de Ouro on Tuesday night, crediting him for his unparalleled exploits with his national team.
The annual awards ceremony is hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation, and, this year, Ronaldo was given the honorary accolade as his country’s all-time top scorer, with 117 goals in 189 appearances.
In addition, Ronaldo led his nation to Euro 2016 glory and us set to captain them again this winter, at the World Cup in Qatar.
Following his acceptance of the award, our no.7 posted a message on Instagram, stating:
“Proud to win the award for the best national scorer for the country that I love! Thanks again to all my team-mates, coaches, my family, friends and all my fans who helped me to achieve this great achievement! Together we will continue to break all possible records! Thank you”
Ronaldo also gave a speech on the night, crediting the support of others who have helped him succeed in his highly decorated career.
“I am proud to receive an award of this magnitude,”
he said. “I never thought that, one day, I could achieve it.
“I thank everyone who was important in my career. It has been a long road, but I would like to say that my road is not over yet.”
The Qatar 2022 World Cup will be Ronaldo’s 10th international tournament with Portugal, and he also reaffirmed his desire to exceed that total during his acceptance speech.
“I hope to be a part of the Federation for a few more years,”
he declared. “I still feel motivated, my ambition is high.
“My path in the national team is not over. We have many quality youngsters.
“I will be at the World Cup, and I want to be at the European [Championship in 2024].”
Cristiano will be 39 by the time Euro 2024 rolls around, and his goalscoring exploits last season (24 in all competitions for United) demonstrate that he remains a huge threat for all defences.
The world icon also notched his first goal of the current campaign in our last fixture, away to Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League, and will be looking to add to his tally when club football resumes in October following the international break.