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Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane wants to continue in Cristiano Ronaldo's footsteps in terms of longevity. He praised the veteran for going strong even at 39 and said he hopes to continue playing for a long time as well.
Cristiano Ronaldo created history on Thursday, September 5, as he scored for Portugal in a 2-1 win over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League. It marked his 900th career goal, making him the first male player to reach that milestone. Incredibly, 437 of those goals have come after he turned 30.
Harry Kane spoke about Cristiano Ronaldo's longevity and about his own ambitions on Friday, telling the media (via IOL):
"Cristiano is the benchmark, not only being one of the best footballers ever to play, but also the benchmark of how long you can play for at a higher level.
"I think sometimes in football and maybe in sport in general, there's a perception that when you get to your thirties it's time to start slowing down, playing fewer games and not playing to the high level. Cristiano is just showing that every week, every time he plays, every time he scores, so from my point of view, that's the aim."
Kane mentioned how he feels he's in a good place and wants to continue for England for a long time, as he added:
"I want to play as long as possible for England and it's great to see other athletes doing it in front of me. It shows that it's possible, and it's just about how you feel yourself.
"I feel in a really good place, both physically and mentally and whatever noise there is around, as long as you keep performing and keep doing what you know you can, that's all you can do."
Kane, 31, has scored 408 goals so far for club and country. He's Tottenham Hotspur's and England's all-time top scorer with 280 and 66 goals respectively so far.
Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after reaching the 900-goal milestone
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first male player to score 900 goals, reaching the milestone against Croatia on September 5. After the game, he reacted to the achievement, saying (via The Sun Nigeria):
“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.”
Cristiano Ronaldo started his career with Sporting CP, where he scored just five goals. He then moved to Manchester United and scored 145 goals for them across two different stints. He scored half of his goals (450) for Real Madrid, becoming their all-time top scorer. He scored 101 goals in three years at Juventus and has scored 68 goals for Al-Nassr so far.
The legendary striker has scored 131 goals for Portugal and can add to the tally against Scotland on Sunday, September 8.
