Ronaldo hints retirement could come very soon
In an interview with SportBible, the Juventus striker admitted that he is enjoying "this process of seeing me outside of football, so who knows what will happen in the next year or two".
At 34, Cristiano Ronaldo is still at the top of his game. And thanks to his commitment to a demanding training regime, strict diet and alcohol-free lifestyle, he remains as fit and as fast as team mates ten years his junior.
If he keeps going as he is, there is no reason that the Portuguese superstar couldn’t continue playing up to the age of 40, as his old team mate Ryan Giggs managed at Manchester United.
“I’m not surprised that he is still playing and still at the top of his game,” Giggs said an interview earlier this year.
“You still have to have that hunger, desire and dedication to go out and train and look after yourself - eat the right way, not drinking alcohol, getting enough sleep and enjoying it.
“Ronaldo, if you look at him, he still looks after himself. So, if he still has that hunger, that desire and enjoying it like I said, he can still go until 40 I think.”
Ronaldo hints at retirement
However, it seems that retirement could come much sooner than that for Ronaldo, who has spoken about the possibility of hanging up his boots in as soon as one or two years.
The ex-Real Madrid striker has a contract with Juventus until 2022 and once he sees that through, he could wave goodbye to the sport of which he has been at the pinnacle for over a decade.
"I still love football,” said Ronaldo in an interview with SportBible. “I love to entertain the fans and the people who love Cristiano. It doesn't matter the age, it's all about mentality. The last five years I start to enjoy this process of seeing me outside of football, so who knows what will happen in the next year or two?"
Ronaldo: life after football
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has already began preparations for life outside the game with his multitude of business ventures, from fragrances and underwear, to gyms, hotels and even a hair transplant clinic, which opened in Madrid earlier this year.
In a testament to his sporting legend status, Nike offered him a lifetime contract worth $1 billion in 2016. Such a prestigious life-time Nike deal like has only been conferred on two super star athletes before him, Michael Jordan and Lebron James, both of whom have built successful business ventures outside of their sport, much like Ronaldo is aiming to do now.
However, as Ronaldo told SportBible: "I do not want to imitate anybody. You have to be yourself all the time, but you can always pick up small details and take something from good examples, not only in football but in other sports as well - Formula 1, NBA, golf, UFC, whatever.
“The best athletes have a similar work ethic. Even the CEOs of great companies are always motivated and they have to work hard to achieve good things."