“I was gobsmacked” - Rio Ferdinand makes bold claim on Cristiano Ronaldo retirement after working with Portugal captain behind-the-scenes
Former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand has said that Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo is unlikely to retire anytime soon. Ferdinand and Ronaldo were teammates at United between 2003 and 2009.
Ronaldo, 39, is widely regarded as one of the best players in the beautiful game's history. He's the most prolific scorer in the men's game, netting nearly 900 times for club and country in an illustrious career spanning more than two decades.
Following his underwhelming outing at Euro 2024 - where Ronaldo went scoreless as Portugal lost in the quarter-final to France on penalties - it was widely thought that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was close to calling it a day.
However, Ferdinand tweeted that having worked with the Portugal captain 'behind the scenes,' Ronaldo is not retiring 'any time soon'. He said in the video:
"I can't give too much away, but I've been doing a few bits with Cristiano behind the scenes, and he's playing as long as he wants. He ain't going nowhere, and I was godsmacked, and listen you'll see it in time, but minimum three years, I think, he plays for again."
Ronaldo and Ferdinand enjoyed great success together at Old Trafford, winning three straight Premier League titles and reaching two straight UEFA Champions finals, winning one.
How Cristiano Ronaldo fared for Portugal at his last tournament?
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo endured an uncharacteristically lacklustre outing for his country at his last international outing at Euro 2024 in Germany last month.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner went scoreless in five games - marking a first at 11 major tournaments (FIFA World Cups and Euros). He notably missed an extra-time penalty in the Round of 16 shootout win over Slovenia, seeing his effort saved by the goalkeeper.
Ronaldo, though, redeemed himself by scoring in the ensuing shootout as the Euro 2016 winners booked a last-eight clash with France with a 3-0 win. Following another goalless 120 minutes, one more shootout ensued, but this time Ronaldo and Co. weren't as lucky.
While Ronaldo converted his effort, Joao Felix missed, and Les Bleus went on to win 5-3 to dump out A Selecao. By scoring in the shootout, Ronaldo became the first player to score in four Euro shootouts and the oldest to do so in competition history.
During the tournament, he also became the first player to appear in six different Euros but couldn't become the first to score in as many editions.