Cristiano Ronaldo dropped retirement bombshell at Man Utd on when he 'wanted to give up'

Cristiano Ronaldo had initially planned to retire at the age of 30, according to former Portugal team-mate Costinha. Now aged 39, however, footballing great Ronaldo continues to impress on the pitch, scoring goals for both his club Al-Nassr and his national team, Portugal.

Just this week, he broke Scottish hearts with a winning goal in their UEFA Nations League match against Scotland. Yet, according to Costinha, Ronaldo’s career could have taken a different turn if he had stuck to his original plan.

Costinha, who won the Champions League with Jose Mourinho’s Porto in 2004, recalled a conversation with Ronaldo suggesting that he would have retired early. “I remember him from a very young age, he made his debut against Kazakhstan in 2003. The only thing that I found strange at the time was that he said that at 30 he wanted to give up football,” Costinha shared with ESPN Brazil.

The forward began the 2014/15 season with Real Madrid, a campaign in which he turned 30, remarkably scoring in 11 consecutive La Liga matches. He went on to secure his fourth European Golden Shoe with an impressive 61 goals throughout the season.

His achievements didn’t stop there as he clinched three consecutive Champions League titles with Los Blancos in 2016, 2017, and 2018. In the same year he lifted Euro 2016, he also broke Eusebio’s calendar-year international goal record.

Costinha added: “But, you quickly realised that it was impossible for that to happen, such was the level of perfection that he would seek in any situation that came his way.

“He said to me: ‘Costa, I’m going to play until I’m 30 and then I’m going to do something different’. I thought it was difficult. ‘It’s very unlikely because of the way you are’. And ten years have passed (since turning 30) and he continues to play very well.”

Ronaldo, who will celebrate his 40th birthday next February, continues to be a key player for Al-Nassr, having shattered the Saudi Pro League single-season goal record last term. He also hit the 900-goal mark with his strike for Portugal against Croatia in the UEFA Nation’s League.

When asked if he believed the legend could reach a century of goals, Costinha responded: “I think it depends on many things. It depends on what will happen in the future if he wants to continue playing… it depends on many factors. But if he has the opportunity, he’ll try and succeed in doing so. I have no doubt about that.”

As for Ronaldo himself, he has no plans to retire just yet. In a conversation with Rio Ferdinand earlier this week, he disclosed: “I give everything, I have given my body for 25 years to football … I know that for two or three more years I can produce something good, but I after that I don’t even want to think about that. You think I am going to cry [when I retire] with everything I have in my life? Well, maybe a little bit!”