Some have even held up Cristiano Ronaldo as an example of eternal youth.

CR7 has been a world-class player well into his 30s despite being kicked and slide-tackled violently for years in the Premier League and then performing as the world’s most explosive athlete while at Real Madrid (even after a knee injury that would have derailed a career for anyone else).

When a player takes better care of his body than perhaps any other professional athlete in sports history, the cumulative effects of years on the field are minimal.

After being written off after suffering on an embarrassingly dysfunctional Manchester United team, Ronaldo rebounded for club and country after coming to Saudi Arabia to finally enjoy his game again, away from the mind-numbingly dumb media limelight of the purported “best league in the world.”

But even the best athletes have thought about hanging it up. Time waits for no man, and Cristiano Ronaldo appears to be considering calling it quits for the first time in his career. According to him, that won’t happen before the following season.

The retirement of CR7 is sure to shock even his harshest critics. The sport, the positions he played, and the definition of an athlete were all changed by Ronaldo’s contributions.

Many sportsmen, not just footballers, have tried to model their routines, work ethics, and even marketing strategies after Ronaldo’s. That is now a crucial aspect of the definition of a celebrity.

Ronaldo’s performance in the Saudi Pro League has not diminished. The sort of free-kick goals he used to score regularly when with Juventus and Manchester United are back in his arsenal, and he’s striking them with regularity.

Despite the additions of Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané, two players who were still fairly excellent (when fit) in the 2022/23 season while playing in top-five European leagues, Cristiano is still the greatest player in the Saudi Arabian league.