We all know that the time is near when golden boy Cristiano Ronaldo will have to hang up his boots and finally call it a day. However, for fans there will be no regrets – we have seen him develop into one of the best players in the world and achieve unbelievable success through hard work and dedication.
The Portuguese star began his career with Sporting Lisbon. As the most wanted young talent of the time, his career was significantly impacted when the foot balling God, Sir Alex Ferguson, expressed his desire to sign the golden boy. Ronaldo managed to build a successful career with Manchester United in six years by winning a number of individual awards and team honours. He then decided to chase his dream by joining one of the biggest clubs in the world, Real Madrid.
Most recently, Real Madrid has secured back to back Champions League titles and Ronaldo has played a significant role in carrying the team forward. His performance last season established him as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, football players in the world.
Ronaldo scored 118 in 292 appearances for Manchester United. He was already on the road to becoming a legend when he joined Madrid. With 285 goals in just 265 games, this 32-year-old player is now considered to be a superstar and a legendary player.
To date, there are no signs of Ronaldo slowing down. As soon as he won the second consecutive Champions League final, FIFA appointed him as the cover star for their new edition of FIFA 18. Ronaldo is tipped as having the highest rankings in the game, even ahead of Lionel Messi who was the cover star from 2013-2016.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been dominating football at both international and domestic level for over a decade – a feat that not many players have been able to achieve. He is also known for playing under pressure, as can be observed by his performance in the most recent Champions League final where he helped rescue Madrid after Mandzukic’s goal canceled their lead. During last season, Ronaldo had 3/1 odds to be on the score sheet in the Champions League final. You can click here if you want to keep a close eye on all the upcoming Champions League football betting odds.
As he is now 32 years old, many fans and football fanatics are concerned about how he will maintain his form in the upcoming season. We all know for a fact that no player is even close to Ronaldo when it comes to maintaining fitness and prolonging his career. Many football pundits, fans, spectators and rival fans wrote Ronaldo off last season as they believed that the Portuguese star had lost some of his luck and pace.
However, we are sure of one thing that he will do all he can to return in peak condition. Ronaldo is a hard worker who has seen many ups and downs in his career, but has managed to successfully overcome the obstacles. After last season, the football world expects Ronaldo to be at the top of his game and keep the Ronaldo-Messi rivalry alive.
Despite a few twists along the way, many agree that Zidane has managed him well. Ronaldo is not the kind of player who would require constant reminders to perform well.
It should also be noted that Messi lost a massive 4-1 Ballon d’Or lead to Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is just one honour shy of equalling Messi’s record.
Here is what Ronaldo and Real Madrid will have to do to ensure he maintains the top form of last season:
- From next season, Ronaldo has to play fewer games to maintain his fitness level. We all agree that age is not on his side. Hence, he has to give his body the required time to heal and rest by avoiding unnecessary matches such as midweek domestic cup games.
- Last season, Zinedine Zidane managed Ronaldo really well. The individual brilliance of the player was noticeable, but Zidane’s tactics brought out the best in him.
- He has to remain focused on training hard. It is better for him to avoid unnecessary travelling for far off matches as well.
While it is expected that Ronaldo will not disappoint fans or even himself, he has to be extremely careful about his health from now on.