Footballing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo said his passion for the game remains undimmed and that he is still motivated to reach his target of 1,000 career goals after the Portuguese forward was named Best Middle East Player at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai on Sunday. Recently, Ronaldo scored a brace for his club Al-Nassr and took his tally of total career goals to 956 for club and country. With his career going well at the Saudi club, it looks like Ronaldo can easily achieve the milestone of 1000 goals. “It’s hard to continue playing, but I am motivated,” he said after receiving the award for the second consecutive year. “My passion is high and I want to continue. It doesn’t matter where I play, whether in the Middle East or Europe. I always enjoy playing football and I want to keep going. “You know what my goal is. I want to win trophies and I want to reach that number (1,000 goals) that you all know. I will reach the number for sure, if no injuries.” Cristiano Ronaldo in action. (FILE photo) In a career spanning over two decades now, Ronaldo has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world: Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United. The Global Soccer Awards validated the results of Ballon d’or this year with Ousmane Dembélé of PSG winning the best male player and Aitana Bonmatí of Barcelona winning the best female player. Désiré Doudé of PSG was awarded the best emerging player while Luis Enrique was named the best coach.Story continues below this ad List of Global Soccer Awards Best Male Player: Ousmane Dembélé (PSG) Best Female Player: Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona) Best Middle Eastern Player: Cristiano Ronaldo Emerging Player: Désiré Doudé (PSG) Best Forward: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) Best Midfielder: Vitinha (PSG) Best Men’s Club: PSG Best Women’s Club: Barcelona Best Coach: Luis Enrique (PSG) Best Agent: Jorge Mendes Best Sporting Director: Luis Campos (PSG) Best President: Nasser Al-Khelaïfi (PSG) Best Content Creator: Bilal Halal Best Academy: Right to Dream Career Achievement: Hidetoshi Nakata and Andrés Iniesta Best Branding: Los Angeles Football Club Best Mental Coach: Nicoletta Romanazzi Best National Team: Portugal Best Sporting Improvement: Paul Pogba Maradona Award: Lamine Yamal


