After Cristiano Ronaldo recently suggested he could continue playing beyond the age of 40, an ex-footballer has predicted that the Manchester United superstar will retire from the sport earlier than he expects due to his recent form.
A week ago, the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus forward, now 37 years old, said he plans to play at the highest level for another four or five years, but former Brazil international Ze Roberto doubts whether this will be possible.
In a recent interview, Ze Roberto, who retired from the sport at 43, suggested that Ronaldo might be better off hanging up his boots instead of trying to chase past highs.
"Cristiano is, for me, a machine," he told Sky Sports.
"But I don't think he will still be going at 40 because he is a player who has always played at the highest level, always winning trophies and always trying to be the best player in the world.
"But in the last two years, we have seen he has not been able to do that with Juventus and now with Manchester United.
"The best proof of that is that he hasn't been among the top two or three players for the big individual prizes.
"He is still a player who costs a lot, but as someone who is used to competing at such a high level, there will come a time when he decides it is better to stop rather than look for something that won't be the same."
Ronaldo has made 30 appearances for the Red Devils since his return to Old Trafford in August last year, scoring 15 goals, with nine of them coming in 23 league matches.
This weekend, he will go up against Premier League leaders Manchester City in what is a must-win match for the 20-time English champions.
