Cristiano Ronaldo's body 'should be given to scientists' when GOAT finally retires as Al-Nassr superstar leaves former Man Utd team-mate in awe after playing into his 40s

At 40 years of age, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is showing no sign of slowing down. He remains a prolific presence for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and recently captained his country to a second UEFA Nations League crown.

Ronaldo is determined to reach 1,000 career goals before hanging up his boots, with that quest being aided by a new two-year contract in the Middle East. That may not be the last deal that he signs, with there still talk of him returning to his roots at Sporting.

CR7 is also looking to match eternal rival Lionel Messi in the longevity stakes, with the Argentine icon seemingly set to extend his terms at MLS side Inter Miami, and it remains to be seen when two all-time greats will head off into the sunset.

Brown, who worked with Ronaldo at Old Trafford and was speaking on behalf of Ignition Casino, told GOAL when asked about the evergreen Portugal international and his ongoing commitment to playing at the highest level: “His body should be given to scientists when he finally rests! He’s a machine.

“He obviously likes it there [Al-Nassr]. He gets treated well. Believe me, if he didn’t want to carry on, he wouldn’t. He loves the game. He’s enjoying himself. He still does the business, and that’s all you can hope for.

“At any point he could retire and relax, do whatever he wanted, but he still wants to be part of football. He still wants to break records and make records. Rather than looking at that negatively, you have to look at that as so much of a positive. Especially for the younger lads coming through - how much he puts in and is willing to put in.

“He’s willing to put his body through stuff just to carry on playing football. For him, I’m really happy he’s been able to do that.”

Ronaldo’s standing among the immortals is safely secured, but he intends to enhance that legacy before hanging up record-shattering boots for the final time. He has also found happiness off the field, with it revealed that CR7 is now engaged to long-time partner Georgina Rodriguez.