Cristiano Ronaldo might seem like he’s built to play forever, but according to his former Portugal teammate Costinha, CR7 once considered hanging up his boots at just 30 years old.
That’s right – the five-time Ballon d'Or winner almost walked away from the game long before hitting legendary status.
Instead, Ronaldo’s career skyrocketed after 30, breaking records, winning titles, and showing no signs of slowing down, even at 39.
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What were the early retirement plans of Ronaldo?
Costinha revealed in an interview with ESPN Brazil, “He said to me: ‘Costa, I’m going to play until I’m 30 and then I’m going to do something different.’ But I knew it wouldn’t happen. His drive for perfection made it impossible.”
Ronaldo proved his former teammate right. At 30, he was scoring for fun with Real Madrid, winning his fourth European Golden Shoe, and securing three consecutive Champions League titles. Add to that his role in Portugal's Euro 2016 victory and breaking Eusebio’s international goal record – it’s safe to say he didn’t miss a step.
Fast forward nearly a decade, and Ronaldo is still going strong. He’s now lighting up the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr, smashing their single-season goal record, and recently netted his 901st career goal for Portugal.
Though Ronaldo once considered retiring early, it seems the football world will be enjoying his brilliance for a bit longer. And when he does finally call it quits, well, he might just shed a tear – but we all might, too.
