Ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final in Kiev against Liverpool, Real Madrid superstar among all superstars Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed when he plans to hang up his cleats. The five time Ballon d’Or winner, now aged 33, says that he plans to play until he’s 41.
Obviously, this is not a concrete date, and highly subject to change, but for now CR7 plans to stay on the pitch for another eight years. “Right now, I’ve got a biological age of 23,” Ronaldo revealed during a recent appearance on Spanish television program El Chiringuito (quotes via The Independent).
“I’ve still got a long time left, I can keep playing until I’m 41. I’m feeling good, happy, I can’t complain.”
In Spain alone, Ronaldo has won 14 trophies, including two La Liga titles, two Copas del Rey, three UEFA Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, and three FIFA Club World Cups. He was named the richest athlete alive by Forbes the past two years and the most famous jock on the planet by ESPN in 2016 and 2017 as well.
Before all that, he scored 84 goals in 196 appearances for Manchester United. Just last week, United supporters voted him the best overall Red Devils player of the Premier League era. When he does decide to retire, he will do so having already accomplished more than anyone could have ever dreamed of.
Tonight, he and his Madrid teammates will go head to head against another superstar, one who just broke through to the elite of the elite level, in Liverpool winger Mo Salah.
Ronaldo says he doesn’t see the comparisons between himself and Salah however.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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