Cantona: “Ronaldo still doesn’t realize he’s not 25 anymore”

Eric Cantona, the glory of Manchester United, who wore the same number 7 shirt as Cristiano Ronaldo, considered that the Portuguese striker had not yet understood that he was already close to 38 years old and that he was in the denial stage.

“There are two types of players at the end of their careers. I decided to quit early [n.d.r.: 31 anos] And that’s one thing. And there are those who want to play until the age of 40 and there are two types: those who want to play every game because they think they are 25 years old and those who realize that they are not 25 years old anymore, and that they are there to help young players. And they know they won’t always play,” said the former French striker in an interview with the Manchester Evening News.

′′ Ibrahimovic did it at Milan, Giggs or Maldini did it too. But I think Ronaldo didn’t realize – and still doesn’t realize – that he’s not 25 anymore. He’s older and he should realize that instead of being dissatisfied with playing some games: “Well, I’m not 25 anymore, I can’t play all the time, but I’ll help young players and accept my situation,” he said.

Cantona also said that accepting age should be part of the human condition and established an analogy between the end of a career and the end of life. “We have to accept [a passagem do tempo] in everything we do. Not only in football. in all. I can’t run as fast as I did when I was 30 and I have to accept that. I have to accept that one day I will die. It’s hard to accept, but we have to. And the end of the march is like death. It’s kind of like that. (…]We can sing to 80, we can act to 80, but soccer players or other athletes know that after 30 or 33, it gets harder physically with each passing day. You have to accept that and either You withdraw or say you will help the new generations.”