Cristiano Ronaldo has only one personal ambition that could make him swallow his pride and return to Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo may have walked away from Portugal, but there is one thing that could make even the greatest player in the country's history swallow his pride and come back.Portugal have already secured their place in the Nations League quarter-finals without their captain, but the focus is now shifting back to a personal ambition Ronaldo has been chasing for years, one that could prove too important to his legacy to simply leave unfinished.Ronaldo's 1000-goal target could still lead him back to PortugalPortuguese journalist Miguel Pereira raised the possibility of a Ronaldo return before Portugal's latest meeting with Norway, when the fallout from his departure was still unfolding and the two sides had yet to play their second match against one another.Speaking to talkSPORT, Pereira argued that Ronaldo had a specific reason for wanting the final stretch of his extraordinary scoring record to involve Portugal, rather than simply completing the milestone during his club career with Al Nassr.“The thing is that 21 goals that he needs to score [to reach his 1000th]. He really wanted to score the last one with Portugal the same way that Pelé mounted a show when he scored his 1000th goal, and I think he was aiming to score that goal at the end of the season in a match with Portugal,” Pereira said.Pereira believed Ronaldo had expected to score around 15 to 20 goals for Al Nassr during the season before creating an occasion around the landmark strike, allowing him to celebrate what would be one of the defining moments of his career in front of the Portuguese supporters.“He was expecting to score the 15-20 goals during the season easily with Al Nassr, but he really wanted to throw up a party that celebrates himself, his ego, his history with the national side,” Pereira added.That possibility looked considerably harder to imagine when Ronaldo left the Portugal camp, although Pereira still believed the relationship could eventually be repaired.Jorge Jesus has now reopened the door for RonaldoPortugal went on to beat Norway 2–1 on Sunday, October 4, at the Estádio do Dragão, giving Jorge Jesus four wins from four in Group A4 and making Portugal the first team to officially secure a place in the Nations League quarter-finals.They achieved that without Ronaldo, who had left the squad after Jesus decided against using him against Norway despite sending him to warm up for around 30 minutes.Jesus has now offered the clearest indication yet that the departure does not have to become permanent, telling reporters after the Norway victory that Ronaldo remains eligible for the next squad selection provided he continues playing and chooses to return.“For me, Cristiano will be eligible for selection the next time the squad is announced, provided he is playing. If he wants to, he will return to the national team,” Jesus said.The Portugal coach also made clear that the final decision rests with Ronaldo, saying: “If he wants to, he'll return to the national team. We can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who's going to decide.”That statement has changed the tone around a possible comeback, particularly because Ronaldo himself has not announced a decision either way since promising that he would explain the reasons for his departure “in due time”.Ronaldo's camp and Portugal still have a way backPereira had argued before the Norway match, that the bridges between Ronaldo's camp and the Portuguese setup could still be rebuilt.“But right now I really do think there are bridges being built between Cristiano’s camp, Jesus’ camp, the Portuguese federation is very much interested in having Cristiano because of all the publicity it gets, and I do think that Cristiano will be back for a last dance with the Portuguese side later next year,” Pereira said.Portugal now have their quarter-final place secured, Jesus has publicly left the decision with Ronaldo, and the forward still has a major personal milestone within reach. The circumstances around his exit remain unresolved, but the possibility of one final Portugal chapter is no longer as difficult to imagine as it was when he walked away.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.