The fire is still burning
Late last month, Ronaldo and his teammates at Al Nassr easily won against Al Fateh at Saudi Pro League. The last match for 6 minutes of injury time, when Ronaldo was in a gap in the penalty area. A shaking, deceiving, accelerating, a movement that after all these years can still realize is his. The corner is narrow, unfavorable, but it is okay: he shot very fast, so intense that the ball seemed to pierce through Peter Szappanos, the goalkeeper of Al Fateh.
When rushing to celebrate, Ronaldo saw the offside flag. The situation does not make any significant differences in results, Al Nassr won 3-1 instead of 4-1. However, Ronaldo's reaction is an wrath. When the whistle ended the match, Ronaldo went to the fourth referee, protesting. "Always against me," he shouted at the TV camera, "you always canceled my goals."
Ronaldo is not only a star that brings attraction to Al Nassr. He is the center of the entire football project of Saudi Arabia. A famous and loved player that the country's ruling level believes that it is possible to build the entire sports culture around the UK.
Ronaldo was angry, at that moment, somewhat explained for his longevity. The frequent, iconic presence is so symbolic that we can easily forget how long he has been here. He played professional before Facebook was born. He joined Manchester United 4 years before Apple launched his first iPhone.
Since then, he has played nearly 1,300 matches, has scored nearly 1,000 goals, has shocked so many records that he can declare, he is the one who broke the most records. According to CR7 itself and of a significant part of football fans, he is the greatest player. According to the same logic, he could be the most famous in the world: Ronaldo has 648 million followers on Instagram, nearly double that Kim Kardashian and enough to become the third most populous country on the planet. It is both absurd but also reasonable to think that Ronaldo is one of the most famous people ever lived.
When turning 40 on 5.2, Ronaldo will be forgiven for starting to think about retirement. His heritage is still preserved. Ronaldo has achieved more than the most ambitious dreams he can cherish when he grew up on Madeira Island. However, even if he was deprived of a goal, he did not mean much in a decided match, he could not stop. Those things - every match, every goal, every moment - is still important. The fire was still burning, intense and brilliant that it was hard to imagine what he would do when he finally turned off.
Retired story ...
The expression may vary, but the answer is always the same: not yet. Ronaldo was asked about retiring when interviewing. Nearly a quarter of a century after his debut, he knew that it was a question he had to be asked. It could also be the question he asked himself. "I really didn't think about it in a conscious way," he said, "I know it's close. I think about playing as long as possible, until I can't contribute more, so I have Can be proud of myself. "
He said that it could mean playing until "40 to 42 years old", but in fact, it may not be a day but a feeling. Previously he said that he would retire, took effect immediately, at a time no longer felt "motivated". That doesn't seem to be something about to happen. There is a need for conjecture to determine what makes Ronaldo continue. Although he always said that he would "walk" from the Portuguese team as soon as he felt he "did not contribute anything", but that time had not come. It is reasonable to wonder if Ronaldo has the hope of playing in a World Cup or not, especially to make sure he is no less than Lionel Messi, 37 years old (both of them have participated in every tournament since 2006 ).
Ronaldo is somewhat overlooking the so -called "obsession with the goal of 1,000 goals in his career". Currently, he has 923 goals, and with a clear awareness of his number - and the weight placed in it - it is difficult to believe that he does not count, or can give up.
... and after retirement
There is another thing to consider. The retirement means Ronaldo not only leaves the only job he has had and creates a reputation. He was not the first to be threatened by what was about to happen to find out who he would become when he was no longer a player. Over the years, Ronaldo has somewhat narrowed his choices, like not wanting to be a coach.
Ronaldo is also too famous to spend time sitting on television, exchanging views with Gary Neville or someone. If he wants to continue with football, the feasible path is to become the owner of a club. "I will not exclude that," Ronaldo said, but he did not appear particularly enthusiastic.
Instead, he wanted to "learn about other fields, to do things I don't know". The 40 -year -old star has a series of business concerns. For many years, he has invested in everything, from the hotel chain to the field of hair transplantation, to champagne and perfume brand Ronaldo. He has a line of underwear and a sports management company. He is part of a corporation who bought a Portuguese publisher. He is not only an ambassador but also an investor in WHOOP, a technology company.
Ronaldo can freely spend years after retiring to live with his investment results, entrusted to financial advisers Miguel Marques to make extra money. He never lacks opportunities. But that is also very fragile. Not only because Ronaldo does not seem to be the type of person who quietly hid himself behind the scenes.
Ronaldo has long been no longer just a football player. For many years, it was just a aspect of his brand. He should be understood not only a athlete but also a celebrity and an influential person. He is so famous that he cannot retire. He can only find another way to maintain, control and build it.
It is suitable when Ronaldo appears on YouTube and breaks the record almost immediately. Within 90 minutes after launching UR Cristiano in August last year, Ronaldo had 1 million subscribers - unprecedented growth in this platform history. Within 1 day, that number increased to 15 million. 5 months later, 73.5 million.
Time as players may be passing, but there is no limit to the time he becomes an influential person. Equally important, it allows Ronaldo not only to continue approaching the audience but he has built during his two decades of his career, but also develops the relevance in the eyes of the youth group, not only To maintain reputation but also expand it.
Ronaldo knows at some point, his time to play football will end. But he also knew that it was not like retiring. He is not just a football player. He is many other things, things will not change, whether they continue to play or not. Finally, Ronaldo will have to leave the pitch. However, he did everything to ensure that it was not the time when the applause stopped.
