Cristiano Ronaldo: “I want to see if I’m 40 playing, 41, 42 …”

Cristiano Ronaldo is a few days away from celebrating his 37th birthday, and in an interview with ESPN Brasil, the Portuguese international renewed his desire to continue playing until he is 40 and spoke about the secrets of his longevity in football, rejecting comparisons with. Other long jobs, like those of LeBron James, Tom Brady or Roger Federer.

“Genetically, I wouldn’t say 25 so as not to exaggerate, but I feel like I’m in my 30s. I take good care of my body and mind. It’s something I’ve learned in recent years: After 33, the body will continue to respect you when you need it, but the hardest battle is mentality. It’s the hardest I focus on the mental aspect, because I know the body will take it, because I respect the body a lot and give it a lot of pampering,” she began by highlighting the Manchester United player.

The phenomenon of longevity can be compared to athletes in other sports, such as LeBron James (37) in basketball, Tom Brady (44) in American football, or even Roger Federer (40) in tennis. “I think it’s different in other approaches. There is not, in my opinion, so much overburden as in football. They also have a longer recovery period. They usually have three months off… In tennis, it’s more intense. , and they travel more… Well, I don’t want to talk, but I thought about it too”, he commented.

The topic of longevity was extended in the interview, with Cristiano Ronaldo admitting that he is studying the topic in depth. “I really like studying. Longevity is something that impresses me in what I have been studying lately. But that is not what I want to talk about here. I am very happy to be a player who showed that longevity was a determining factor in continuing to play and enjoy. Then a good level of performance.”

Longevity with no end in sight and that may exceed 40 years, in 2025. “I’m happy, I want to stay here [no Manchester United]See what happens. I want to see if I’m 40 playing, 41, 42 … but the most important thing is to enjoy the moment,” he said.

As for the continuation of secrets at the highest level, Cristiano Ronaldo opened the match. “I think a player’s ability is to have the intelligence to read the game. Experience gives us that. I have experience, I know my body. I know when I can go, and when I can’t. In my opinion, the ability we should have is adaptability. It’s the most appropriate word for a player to be able to play for a few Years. I managed to get that balance. Revealing knowing how to adapt in each age to a new philosophy of play, to your body and mind…”.

A long career with few regrets. “I prefer to look at things from a positive perspective, which is: All the experiences I will have when I finish my career have been beautiful, regardless of the end results. Even without winning big things, I think all the clubs want to win the Champions League, but all the experiences and decisions that I took it, I don’t regret it. Life is like that, it’s made of experiences, moments, and I’ve enjoyed everything I have”, he added.