When Spain plays Portugal in the UEFA Nations League 2025 final in Munich on Sunday night, the goalie is excited for Cristiano Ronaldo to score 1000 goals in his career, but he is not looking forward to seeing one.
When the tournament’s first victors, Portugal, take against reigning champions, Spain, in the summit match for the edition, the Iberian rivalry will be reignited on a large scale. Spain advanced to the final after defeating France in a thrilling 5–4 match, led by their youthful group of superstars, which included 17-year-old Lamine Yamal.
Six years after dominating the first Nations League, Ronaldo once again made headlines for Portugal as he led the team to a comeback victory. They advanced to their third major final thanks to Ronaldo’s victory over Germany in the 68th minute. The 40-year-old’s lifetime goal total is becoming overpowering with each goal scored.
He is a living example of how to sacrifice a lot for football in daily life. I don’t think I’ll be as good as Cristiano when I’m forty. As Ronaldo prepares for his tenth encounter with Spain at the Allianz Arena, Simon remarked, “I hope he reaches 1000 goals … but I hope he doesn’t score any this Sunday.”
Ronaldo now has 937 goals in his career, 137 of which were scored while wearing a Portugal shirt. It’s interesting to see that only three of those had previously caused Spain problems. When his incredible hat-trick prevented a Spanish triumph in the 2018 World Cup, CR7 won them all in one night in Sochi.
Ronaldo stated on the eve of the final that he and Yamal of Spain are not facing off in a match between two generations. Interestingly, Portugal hasn’t won a competitive match against Spain in twenty-one years, since Ronaldo, then seventeen, made his debut at Euro 2004.
Generations are entering and leaving the stage in distinct movements. It’s okay if you want to view me as belonging to a different generation,” Ronaldo stated.
“When you talk about Cristiano and someone else fighting, that’s not how it works. Although it’s typical for the media to attempt to hype things up, it’s one team against another.
Ronaldo told reporters, “There’s been a lot of talk about Lamine, and rightly so — he’s a fantastic player,” but he also added, “I want to focus on the team as a whole.
“They boast top-quality midfielders such as Pedri and Nico Williams, and their manager, Luis de la Fuente, is highly capable, firm, and well-disciplined.”