Cristiano Ronaldo: Questions about my ability are unfounded and foolish. The soccer star reveals his retirement plans.
Cristiano Ronaldo is confident that he still has the ability to play at an elite level and didn’t leave Old Trafford in the summer because he “feels comfortable”, not because he had no offers…
After a strong 2021-22 campaign at Old Trafford, Ronaldo has gotten off to a slow start this season. He was unable to lead the Red Devils to a top-four finish or any trophies, though. With United back in the Europa League, it’s been a difficult season for the 37-year-old.
In ten Premier League matches this season, Ronaldo has only scored onetime. The World Cup break is not far away, and Piers Morgan released a bombshell of interview with Ronaldo this week. Ronaldo was highly critical of manager Erik ten Hag as well as the infrastructure of the club–a huge talking point being his future at Old Trafford.
Despite admitting it will be “hard” to leave the Premier League club, he stated that a January exit is inevitable–which is what he wants and surely what United want given his comments to Morgan. There have been multiple reports in recent months sayings that no clubs showed any concrete interest in signing the Portugal captain.
Is Ronaldo sound enough to play for a leading team? This is the question many are asking after Bayern Munich sold Robert Lewandowski and chose not to replace him with anyone, even though Ronaldo was available on the market.
Ronaldo, of course, believes he is more than qualified for the task.
Asked if his age will affect his ability to play at an elite level, Ronaldo told Morgan that it is a stupid question. He went on to say that day by day, we are all getting old and that everyone must adapt as they age. He continued, saying that nobody in this game has the brain that can adapt with age.
Although he clarified that he is not the same player as when he was 20, he is still playing at a high level and scoring goals. Ronaldo ended by saying that it is difficult to be successful when the people around him do not have the same energy or dedication.
Portugal captain Ronaldo believes that this could be his final World Cup and has stated that he is hoping to retire at the age of 40.
“I like to play for two or three additional years maximum,” he said.
“I think that 40 will be a good age to finish on. But I don’t know, I can’t foretell the future.
“Sometimes you make plans for something in your life but, as I have been told several times before, life is not static and you never know what might happen.”