Cristiano Ronaldo's motivation to succeed has been the driving force behind his illustrious career.

While the Portuguese is perhaps not the most naturally gifted player of all-time, his willingness to push his body to the maximum and squeeze out every last bit of quality is commendable.

His motivation to perform to the highest level at every given opportunity will see him go down as one of the greatest players and goal scorers of all time.

However, with age comes a slight decrease in motivation, especially when you've done it all like Ronaldo has.

As such, the 34-year-old is now finding it harder than ever to psyche himself up for every game.

In a recent interview with France Football, Ronaldo admitted that if it were up to him, he would only play games for the Portuguese national team and in the Champions League.

"If it were up to me, I'd only play important games," he said, per Marca. "Those of the national team and the Champions League. It's these types of games that motivate me, those with everything at stake.

"But you have to be professional and honour your family and the club who pay you. You have to do your best every day."

What about those away days at Lecce and SPAL, Cristiano?

Ronaldo's dream would be to win the Champions League with Juve and then either Euro 2020 or the 2022 World Cup with Portugal - or both.

If he could manage two of those three accomplishments and play key roles in them, it would be incredibly difficult to not label him the greatest footballer of all time.

The World Cup is so far the only big trophy that has eluded him, but with Portugal ever-improving and Ronaldo still fit as a fiddle, success at Qatar 2022 is a serious possibility.