After being subjected to seemingly never-ending retirement rumours, legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo has finally responded to the hearsay — and the answer is not what you might expect.
Ronaldo, 38, has been in the crosshairs of fans and critics who have targeted the Portuguese strike for choosing the “easy” Saudi Pro League over European football leagues — considered as elite tournaments around the world.
The Al Nassr striker took to social media, after his side convincingly triumphed over Al Taawoun with a 4-1 score, to address the criticism and rumour mill revolving around his retirement from the sports.
“54 — I’ll say when it’s finished,” read the caption on Ronaldo’s Instagram post after the Portuguese striker netted another goal in his no less than remarkable calendar year.
The number 54 refers to the number of goals that Ronaldo managed to score in the calendar year — seemingly a euphemistic response to those who believe him to be in twilight of his career.
Ronaldo ends 2023 as the leading goalscorer in the year. Behind him are Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe with 52 each. A huge turnaround for a player who scored just 16 goals in 2022. If he continues like this, there is no reason as to why CR7 can’t continue to excel at the highest level.
The star footballer has already expressed his desire to secure at least five titles with Al Nassr before retiring. Therefore, it appears that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner isn’t considering retirement in the near future.—AFP
