Cristiano Ronaldo has reassured Juventus supporters and his legions of fans worldwide that at 34, he is not ready for retirement.
He says, “Age is just a number. It does not mean that at 34, 35, 36, you are at the end of your career. This he said at a news conference ahead of Juventus’ Champions League match against Lokomotiv Moscow on Tuesday.
“I can show that with my performances, how I play, the way I still feel good, sharp, thinking about the game, more mature. This makes the difference.”
Ronaldo is in the second of a four-year deal at Juventus. He has sparked concern among his fans when he said in an interview published a few weeks ago, that he was starting to enjoy seeing himself “outside football, so who knows what will happen in the next year or two?”
Recently, Ronaldo scored his 700th goal as a professional while on international duty with Portugal. He has been nominated for a record sixth Ballon d’Or award which would break his tie of five with Lionel Messi.
However, Ronaldo seemed to be interested in winning a treble with Juventus. He says, “We want to win Serie A. We want to win the Cup, the Champions League.”
“Juventus should think big. We are going to try to win all the trophies, we know it will be difficult, especially the League and the Champions League. But I think it is possible. Everything is possible.”
“In terms of honors, I have nothing to say as this is individual. It is not the most important thing. The most important is the collective awards. If you win them, you have more chances to win the individual awards. The Ballon d’Or is for me in second place.”
While retirement may not be on Ronaldo’s mind yet, family time is a big part of his life.
He says, “To win games, to score goals, to enjoy myself, to arrive home and see my kids happy and say, ‘congratulations daddy for scoring a goal’ makes me happy.”
“This is my motivation to come to train, for the games, to entertain people and fans with passion.”