Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his 37th birthday earlier in February. However,no matter how close he is to the fifth decade of his life, he does not intend to give up on his greatest love, actively playing football. The forward is still under contract with Manchester United for another yearafter suffering the worst goal drought in more than a decade.
Ronaldo is known for being one of the most physically prepared players in the world, an ace who takes great care of his body, but unfortunately, his physical limits have been starting to show themselves during the 2021-22 Premier League season.
Despite netting nine times this season, the veteran is no longer the difference-maker he was at Real Madrid and Juventus, and he is unable to help the team in the ways many expected. Nonetheless, the Portugal captainhopes to continue playing for many years to come.
Cristiano Ronaldo wants to be on the field in his 40s
“I know there aren’t many years left before I quit playing, hopefully, four or five more. But I want to keep winning things. It’s been a wonderful adventure in my life. Everywhere I have gone, I have left my imprint. I don’t believe any athlete in history has ever been able to attain, well, the statistics he has, but to have the pride of knowing that everywhere I have been, I have left my mark.That makes me really delighted,” hestated in an interview withDAZN.
“You have to be smart and state that being eight [years old], twenty or twenty-five or thirty-five is not the same as being eight [years old]. That takes age, experience, and the knowledge to see that you may lose some things, but you gain others, and you must strike the appropriate balance to be able to compete and perform at the top level.”