Ronaldo says he is not planning to retire after World Cup
A year after helping the Portuguese to their first World Cup title with Portugal, World Cup-winning captain Ronaldo says he is not planning to retire. He insisted that he is only putting an end to his active career as a professional.
“I am not a veteran and I am not planning to retire, because I am a kid in the World Cup,” Ronaldo said in an interview on Friday, as quoted by the Portuguese news site Gazeta do Povo.
The 32-year-old, who also praised his former manager, Luis Felipe Scolari, for helping achieve his first World Cup title, added that he is open to working in the media after leaving the European elite.
Scolari, who also coached Ronaldo at Real Madrid, will take over the presidency of Portugal until late 2018.
The three-time Ballon d’Or winner said he could not say why he was not selected for the senior team, but he accepted the explanation that there were some “difficult cases”.
“All I can say is that I have played very well and I am very excited,” he said. “I wish to work in the future. It will depend on my career and my future plans. I would like to continue as a football player.
“I have some plans. I hope that in the next year, I will get out of this World Cup and start the next one where I will have the chance to be a coach for a long time. That would be my dream.”
With Ronaldo leaving a legacy at club level, it is hoped that Portuguese football club Real Madrid will keep his name in their history for a long time to come. The club has already appointed his former national coach, Scolari, to lead the team in its next season.
The coach was tasked by the club to prepare a successful campaign in which the club aims to win a third consecutive league title, as well as the Copa del Rey and the Copa del Rey, the club’s domestic cup.
“We have discussed and I have supported this change. I have made many mistakes but also many positive and I hope that that will change and I can become better,” said Ronaldo.