18 October 2023 , 16:50
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Cristiano Ronaldo still has "another two or three years" left in him, according to former Manchester United teammate Dimitar Berbatov.
Ronaldo has scored a phenomenal 40 goals this calendar year, starring for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia and powering Portugal on their road to Euro 2024. Ahead of turning 39 next February, some are suggesting that we could be seeing the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in his final season.
However, reports recently circulated claiming that Ronaldo wants to extend his contract with Al Nassr until 2027, as his current deal expires in just over a year. That would see him likely retire at the Saudi club and put himself in contention to represent Portugal at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Berbatov - who played alongside Ronaldo at Old Trafford during the 2008-09 season - is adamant that he'll be sticking around until at least 2025. "Cristiano will stop when he wants to stop," the ex-United striker told Betfair. "When you look after yourself the way he has, have the team around you that he does, the chances of playing football for longer than expected gets bigger.
"In Cristiano's case, I think he has the chance to play for another two or three years. People will say that he's playing in a slower league that's not as good as the Premier League but it doesn't matter. He's still proving that he's going strong, especially recently with his performances and goals for Portugal.
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"He's helped Portugal qualify for Euro 2024, and one day his last tournament will come, of course, but let's not think about that yet. Let's just leave him be and I'm sure he'll surprise us with another decision soon enough. At the moment, Cristiano is going strong so we need to enjoy watching him play until he does decide that enough is enough."
Ronaldo hasn't merely "helped" Portugal qualify either; he's been their talisman. Under new manager Roberto Martinez, the Real Madrid legend has struck a superb nine goals in seven games.
Have your say! Will Cristiano Ronaldo help Portugal win Euro 2024? Let us know your prediction in the comments section.
Cristiano Ronaldo's international form has been reinvigorated by Portugal boss Roberto Martinez (Jose Manuel Alvarez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)Portugal booked their ticket to Germany last Friday thanks to a double from Ronaldo before he scored another brace in Bosnia on Monday. "Cristiano is well, he plays a lot of minutes and scores a lot of goals with his club," Martinez explained.
"He has a lot of experience in the national team, he represents a stimulus and a reference for the young people. It's not an individual sport, it's everyone's game and there's no lack of commitment."
As for what the man himself has said about the prospect of retiring, he'd previously suggested that Euro 2024 will be his final international tournament. But a determined Ronaldo vowed last month: "I will continue to play until my legs say, 'Cristiano, I'm done'. I still have a lot. I still love football and scoring goals. I still love winning. They say I'm done but I'm still proving that it's not true."