‘Ronaldo sliding after living like an egg in Mr Kipling’s cake’ – Tyson Fury warns Portuguese superstar ‘age will get you’

• All-time great is now 37
• Finds himself without a club
• Dropped by Portugal at 2022 World Cup

WHAT HAPPENED? The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is now 37 and finds himself without a club after seeing his contracted terminated by Manchester United. There is no indication of him stopping any time soon, amid links to clubs in Europe and Saudi Arabia, but questions are being asked of his ability to replicate the superhuman feats of individual brilliance that have established his reputation as an all-time great.

WHAT THEY SAID: Heavyweight world boxing champion Fury – who is a United supporter – knows all about the pressures of elite sport and attempting to achieve longevity, with the 34-year-old telling talkSPORT: "If you look at Cristiano Ronaldo, he’s 37 years old, he’s had the best doctors, the best physiotherapists, he’s lived like an egg in Mr Kipling’s cake. But even Ronaldo is on the slide now, so even someone who has looked after himself like that, it catches up to you… so imagine a boxer who has been punched to pieces for the last 20 years. The age factor will not wait for anybody, no matter how you’ve lived. Whether you’ve never had a drink in your life, if you’ve never run on any hard surfaces, no matter who you are, age will get you eventually."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ronaldo has been making more headlines at the 2022 World Cup, having been dropped by Portugal for their last-16 showdown with Switzerland, and some big decisions are fast approaching regarding his domestic and international future.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Portugal will be back in quarter-final action against Morocco on Saturday, with Ronaldo still part of their plans, but it remains to be seen how many years an iconic performer has left in him before a day comes to hang up his boots.