Cristiano Ronaldo bills himself as ‘complete player’ with things to ‘perfect’ – with 39-year-old Al-Nassr & Portugal superstar explaining secrets to longevity

The evergreen Al-Nassr and Portugal forward has been at the top of his game for over 20 years now, having earned a move to Manchester United and his big break back in 2003. Since then he was won trophies in England, Spain, Italy and Saudi Arabia – including five Ballons d’Or – with countless records broken along the way.

Ronaldo is assured of a standing among the all-time greats and has told UEFA’s official website of the goals that he now sets after seemingly hitting every possible target: “Year after year, we're always trying to improve certain things. There's always room for improvement. I think I am a complete player, but there are always things I can perfect. And, with age, there are things we weren't so good at in the past, and we start losing some abilities, so it's important to try and adapt. That's the key word. If a player wants to have longevity, they need to have a strong adaptability and the characteristics for that adaptation. That's what I tried to do. It's no coincidence that I have been playing for 20 years at the highest level, and maintaining that performance is very hard. Only with a lot of dedication and hard work can we achieve those numbers.”

CR7 has already become the first man to appear at five European Championships, with that record about to be enhanced when gracing Euro 2024. He added on rewriting the history books on a regular basis: “I'm proud to be the first player to play in six EURO tournaments. I'm thrilled about it as it shows the longevity of my career. However, it's merely a chapter in what Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved in football. I'm happy and I feel privileged to be here to help the national team achieve its goals and, of course, try to go on and win it, which is our primary goal.”

Portugal have the talent and squad depth to suggest that they can stake a claim for another continental crown in Germany this summer, with it yet to be determined how prominently – despite being captain of his country – Ronaldo will figure having previously spent time on the bench at the 2022 World Cup.