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Coming up to the age of 33, the clock is finally beginning to tick on the career of global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s been one of the world’s most recognisable talents since he landed at Manchester United back in 2003, and since 2009 there’s an argument that he’s been the best player in the world, period. He’s won the Champions League four times with United and Real Madrid, he’s won the European Championships with Portugal, and he’s won the Ballon d’Or four times too.
Nothing can last forever, though, and with likely only a couple of seasons at most left for him at the top level, perhaps one eye might be cast towards what he plans to do when he retires. The time might not arrive just yet but who knows, Ronaldo – like another United legend in Eric Cantona – might decide to hang it up before his skills fully begin to wane, preferring to be remembered at his peak rather than on a downswing.
Assuming his retirement comes sooner rather than later, here are five things he could do once he’s walked away from the game.
#1 Go into coaching or management
An old adage is that the best players don’t always make the best managers or coaches, mainly because either their standards are too lofty and impossible for lesser players to reach, or they simply don’t understand how to teach skills as they picked them up in a more natural way. There are exceptions though and they’re becoming more common these days – look at Zinedine Zidane, Diego Simeone and Pep Guardiola to name a few.
Could Ronaldo join them? There’s been no word that he wishes to take any official FIFA coaching badges or anything of that sort yet, but then he may simply have not considered that path just yet. Judging on the finals of the 2016 European Championships though, it could definitely be something for him to consider. Substituted early on in the game with an injury, Ronaldo didn’t sulk back off to the changing rooms wondering what might’ve been – instead he stepped into a very vocal role from Portugal’s bench, cheering his teammates on and offering advice.
Do we know whether the advice was of a technical sort, or was it simply just encouragement? We honestly don’t know as it’s practically impossible to tell what’s being shouted by someone on the bench, even the actual manager or coach, but it was clear that Ronaldo was far more vocal even than Portugal’s manager Fernando Santos. And of course, Portugal went on to win the game.
If this example was anything to go by then Ronaldo can inspire players at the very least – one of the trickiest parts of being an effective coach or manager. If he can learn the technical side of things from a coaching standpoint, there’s no reason to suspect he couldn’t succeed there.
#2 Push his CR7 fashion label
Despite some questionable choices in dressing over the years (his disgustingly short shorts come to mind....) Ronaldo has somehow become known as a fashion icon in the world of sports and beyond, and his look is one that’s been copied by young men all around the world wishing to look like the Portuguese star. So it’s no surprise that – following in the footsteps of a fellow Manchester United and Real Madrid legend in David Beckham – that Ronaldo has branched off into the world of fashion.
Ronaldo opened his first ‘CR7’ fashion boutique on the Portuguese island of Madeira – his birthplace – back in 2006, and followed by opening a second boutique in Lisbon in 2008. Since then he’s released his own line of underwear, socks, and shirts – all modelled by the man himself of course – and then branched into the world of fragrance, releasing ‘Cristiano Ronaldo Legacy’ in partnership with Eden Parfums in 2015.
After retirement, then, surely it makes sense for Ronaldo to focus on his fashion label. After all, David Beckham has made tremendous business out of his own fashion and fragrance line, particularly since stepping away from the game, but for Ronaldo there’s perhaps even more of an opportunity as his fame in non-English speaking countries arguably outstrips even Beckham’s. Why not design and release a line of jeans, gym training gear, or even branch out into a range of women’s clothing? If it has the CR7 brand, his legions of fans are likely to buy it.
#3 Go into modelling full-time
Everyone knows that aside from scoring goals for Real Madrid and Portugal – and winning trophies along the line – the one thing that Ronaldo seems most fond of doing is posing with his shirt off. We’ve seen him do it both on the pitch in celebration, and off the pitch too, whether it’s flexing for the paparazzi on the beach, or posing in his line of CR7 underwear. And let’s be honest, if you looked like Ronaldo – all bulging biceps and abs – you’d probably go shirtless a lot too.
That’s why it could make sense for Ronaldo to make a move into modelling after his career ends. Sure, his athletic prime might be coming to an end, but there’s no reason why he couldn’t keep himself in the same great shape once he hangs up his boots. Realistically, all the upper-body muscle he’s packing probably doesn’t do much for his game anyway – it’s all for the aesthetics, built in the gym rather than the training pitch, and so even if his knees have taken a hammering over the years, that shouldn’t slow his bench press down.
His age shouldn’t be a problem, either – plenty of successful male models continue well into their 30’s – David Gandy, for instance - one of the world’s most famous models – is 37, while David Beckham continues to model his line of clothing well into his 40’s now. Basically for a guy as well-known for posing and preening as Ronaldo, surely this move would make sense, even if it were just on a part-time basis for his own fashion label.
#4 Go into acting
This one is out of the left field for sure, but go with me for a second. Essentially, the only former footballer to really succeed in the world of acting is Vinnie Jones, and you could easily make an argument that his acting skills are probably better than the skills he showed on the pitch! But plenty of others have tried, whether it’s been for cameo spots or genuine roles, and while they haven’t been as successful as Jones, why couldn’t Ronaldo go for it?
Eric Cantona, for instance, made a surprising move into the world of acting in 1998, playing the role of a French ambassador in Elizabeth. He even went on to direct a short film in 2002. David Beckham recently made his proper acting debut in this year’s blockbuster King Arthur: Legend of the Sword despite being well-known for his wooden tendencies. Ronaldo meanwhile has already made his big screen debut, albeit in a cameo role as himself in the Goal! series.
Granted, Ronaldo would perhaps struggle in a role in an English-speaking film, as it’s his second language, but there’s no reason to suggest he couldn’t take on small roles in Portuguese-speaking films. After all, his acting skills on the pitch have often proven to be legendary, and few players in the game have been able to perfect the art of simulation and feigning injury, as well as wildly haranguing the referee quite like CR7. It seems like the perfect idea for him!
#5 Disappear from the public eye
For a man as well-known for loving attention as Cristiano Ronaldo, the idea that he could simply disappear from the public eye after ending his career is a pretty crazy one. It’s hard to imagine the football world without CR7, given his domination of the game since his arrival at Real Madrid in 2009 – and even before that, he was one of the world’s most famous players during his time at Manchester United.
But perhaps he could decide that the fame and attention simply isn’t worth it any more, not after retirement. It’s clearly taken its toll on David Beckham, for instance, who now looks tired and much older than 42 at times. It’s not like he’s short of money, either – as of August 2017, Ronaldo was reportedly worth around £400m, most of that coming from his Real Madrid salary. After retirement, assuming his CR7 fashion label continues to sell, he could continue to make money, too.
Despite his private life being relatively, well, private, we do know that he has four children and an apparently steady partner – Georgina Rodriguez, a former Gucci model from Spain. So he’s got a ready-made family to take up his time. Why not retire to a relatively quiet life – perhaps on his native island of Madeira, where he’s already practically royalty – and simply enjoy his millions? If anyone’s earned that kind of rest, it’s Ronaldo.
