CRISTIANO RONALDO is a man who revels in the spotlight.
When the pressure is on he steps up for Real Madrid, as he proved emphatically against Juventus in the Champions League last night.
With the game level on aggregate at 3-3 following an incredible comeback at the Bernabeu by the Old Lady, Los Blancos were awarded a 92nd-minute penalty when Medhi Benatia bundled into the back of Lucas Vazquez.
Juventus’ legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was livid and barged into referee Michael Oliver. He was sent off.
Skirmishes took place in the Juve penalty area as substitute stopper Wojciech Szczesny prepared for his entrance.
While those around him lost their heads, Ronaldo waited patiently for his match-winning moment. He didn’t let anyone down and fired his penalty into the top corner.
It was the Portuguese’s 41st goal of the campaign. At 33-years-old he shows no sign of slowing down, which suggests he still has several years ahead of him.
So could we see CR7 knocking in goals in his forties? We asked our friends at Football Whispers to answer that question.
As Ronaldo’s penalty nestled in the corner of Szczesny’s goal he was already sprinting away in celebration.
He ripped off his shirt, displaying his muscular frame, and flexed for the cameras.
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Former Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand said after the match the Real No7 had the “perfect” physique for a footballer.
But it hasn’t come easy for Ronaldo. He has worked, and worked hard. During his youth Ronaldo was slight. The talent was there, the frame wasn’t.
So even before he entered his teens he began working harder to become stronger and faster than his team-mates and opposition players.
That relentless drive and almost obsessive desire to be better than everyone else has ensured Ronaldo remains decisive.
While many drift towards retirement in their thirties, the Portugal captain pushes the thought of stopping further and further from people’s minds.
He follows a strict fitness regime, as those who follow any of his many social media accounts will know. There is no compromise, no rest days.
“Fit in exercise wherever you can,” Ronaldo explained in 2015 when giving tips on health and fitness.
“You can do an abs workout in your bedroom when you wake up in the morning or before you go to bed. Get into a routine and it makes it easier. It will become a habit.”
He also sticks to a high protein diet and avoids sugar and alcohol.
However, Ronaldo places huge importance on mental health, stressing time to relax away from the pressures of day-to-day life is important.
“Mental strength is just as important as physical strength,” he’s admitted.
All the above is undertaken in order to ensure he shines on the pitch. Something Ronaldo tends to do.
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But in recent seasons he’s doing it in a very different way; he’s become an elite finisher.
Gone is the blistering quick winger who would beat two or three opponents before slamming a shot home from 20 yards.
The 2018 Ronaldo is far, far more efficient. He only expends energy when required, and that is often in the penalty area.
He dribbles and passes per 90 have decreased every season since his move to Madrid from Manchester United.
This season he is only completing 23.58 passes and 1.28 successful take-ons per 90. In the latter category, 60 other La Liga attackers better him.
Tellingly, however, his touches in the opposition penalty area are unrivalled in La Liga. Ronaldo takes, on average, 9.96 per 90.
The majority of those are shots and he leads the Spanish top tier for scoring attempts per 90 with 6.83.
This evolution has been vital for Ronaldo. He accepted, perhaps earlier than many of his contemporaries, that with age comes change.
Instead of fighting that he embraced it. He moved with the times.
So how long can Ronaldo go on for? The man himself isn’t sure.
“When I renewed my contract I said I’d still be playing when I’m 41 – it was meant half jokingly and half seriously,” he said last year.
“If I feel good, without any injuries and I am still motivated, I’ll play until I’m 35, 41 or 45. I don’t know.”
While a 45-year-old Ronaldo leading the line for Madrid is inconceivable, there is certainly enough to suggest he can still be influential for Los Blancos when his 40th birthday comes around.
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