Cristiano Ronaldo looks as though he could play forever, however, his former Portugal teammate Costinha has revealed even CR7 himself once thought about retiring at the age of just 30.
Yes, that's true – the present five-time Ballon d'Or winner very nearly quit football, years before attaining legendary status.
Ronaldo, however, managed to hit new heights at 30 when most are winding down their careers – and he was still winning a Golden Boot in 2026 so he wasn't doing it under pressure of the end being nigh.
What were Ronaldo's plans for early retirement?
“Costinha told me in an interview with ESPN Brazil: He said to me, ‘Costa, I’m going to play until I’m 30 and then I’ll go do something else. But I knew it wasn't going to happen. This was not allowed by his quest for perfection.
And Ronaldo showed his old team-mate was bang on the money. When he turned 30, the guy was scoring for fun at Real Madrid and winning his fourth European Golden Shoe as they bagged three straight Champions Leagues. Throw in his part for Portugal's Euro 2016 success or trumping Eusebio as the Seleccao's highest-ever scorer — quite literally he hit Europe running.
We are almost a decade later, and Ronaldo is still not slowing down. He's tearing up the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr, breaking their single-season goal record, and hit 901 for Portugal the other day.
That Ronaldo considered retiring at the age of 33 when he made that statement in Madrid was laughable even by his prolific standards, however, the football world will indeed be graced by more of his unique talents beyond this year. Maybe, then, when he does eventually pull the pin on it all he might even cry – but we could all follow suit.
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