Cristiano Ronaldo Honored by the Portuguese Football Federation With the Platinum Quinas Award

At 39, Cristiano Ronaldo has earned yet another accolade, as the Portuguese Football Federation awarded him the prestigious Platinum Quinas Award. This honor recognizes Ronaldo's remarkable commitment to Portugal’s national team over nearly two decades. Throughout his career, he’s become both Portugal's most capped player and all-time leading scorer, solidifying his legacy as a national icon.

Portugal has produced numerous football icons—names like Eusebio, Luis Figo, Deco, Rui Costa, and Pepe come to mind. But none have had a more profound influence on both Portuguese and global football than Cristiano Ronaldo. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner isn’t just a legend on the pitch; his charisma has made him one of the most recognizable and marketable athletes worldwide. He led Portugal to their first major international triumph when they won the 2016 Euros. Portugal also claimed the inaugural Nations League title under Ronaldo’s captaincy. Currently, Ronaldo has represented the Selecao a record 216 times and counting, while scoring 133 goals – most by any player for any nation. 

To honor his years of remarkable service, the Portuguese Football Federation awarded him Platinum Quinas Award in a ceremony which was attended by Luís Montenegro (Portugal’s Prime Minister) and Fernando Gomes (President of Portuguese Football Federation). During the facilitation, Ronaldo walked down the memory lane and reminisced about the important moments on his international journey. He said, “It is an honor to receive this trophy. I see it as a beginning. Thank you to the FPF for this award, marking a long journey filled with hard work. At 18, my dream was to earn my first cap. Then I went to 25, 50, and why not 100? A round number, three digits, and then I started thinking about 150, 200, and it’s a tremendous feeling.” 

Cristiano Ronaldo also talked about his goal of reaching 1,000 career goals before retiring at the ceremony. Ronaldo, who will turn 40 in February, stated that now he “can’t think of the long term anymore.” He further added, “I now face my life as living in the moment. I can't think long term anymore. I said publicly that I wanted to reach 1,000 goals, but it seems that now everything is easy. Just last month, I reached 900. It's about living in the moment, seeing how my legs will respond in the next few years. If I reach 1,000 goals, that's fine, but if I don't, I'm already the player with the most goals in history." With Ronaldo’s drive and hinger, few would bet against him reaching 1,000 career goals. The 39-year-old has made a stellar start to the 2024/25 season, already scoring six goals for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. He has also scored two goals in three games in the AFC Champions League Elite. At 39, such figures are astonishing, even in the Saudi Pro League. So, can Ronaldo reach his goal of 1,000 career goals?