Cristiano Ronaldo pushes back retirement, plans to equal record held by former Barcelona player
Despite now being 38 years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo shows no signs of slowing down as a footballer. Now at Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, he has been lighting things up so far this season, racking up a remarkable 10 goals and five assists in just eight matches.
Ronaldo still considers himself to be in peak condition, so much so that he has decided to push back plans to retire from playing, as per MD. Previously, it was expected that he would hang up his boots not long after Euro 2024 next summer, but he now wants to keep playing until 2027.
Ronaldo wants Al-Nassr to offer him a new contract which takes him through to 2027. This is because he wants to keep playing until at least the 2026 World Cup in North America, so that he can become the latest player to play at five World Cups.
Former Barcelona player and current Barca Atletic head coach Rafa Marquez is one of four male footballers to have achieved this, and Ronaldo hopes to add himself to a list that also featured Lothar Matthaus and Gianluigi Buffon.
Whether Ronaldo does indeed decide to do this remains to be seen, but it is a testament to the former Real Madrid man’s mentality and physical attributes that he sees himself playing into his 40s.
