“Too many wrinkles” – Cristiano Ronaldo makes honest admission about age catching up to him

Cristiano Ronaldo recently acknowledged that he has aged, during an interaction with a cameraman om a post-match interview.

The 38-year-old forward helped Portugal beat Iceland 1-0 in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers on June 20. He scored in the 89th minute to secure a fourth win in as many games for A Selecao in the qualifiers in what was his landmark 200th international game.

During a post-match interview, a cameraman appeared to zoom in on Cristiano Ronaldo's face a bit too much. The Portuguese icon responded (via India Shorts):

“Not too close, eh! Too many wrinkles!”

The Al-Nassr forward made his debut for Portugal in August 2003 against Kazakhstan. Twenty years later, he has become one of the greatest players of all time.

The game against Iceland was a record-breaking one for Cristiano Ronaldo, who became the first men's player to register 200 appearances in international football. He's also the all-time top scorer in international football with 123 goals for Portugal.

He has captained his country to triumphs at the 2016 Euros and the 2019 Nations League.

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Portugal manager Roberto Martinez hails Cristiano Ronaldo's commitment

Many predicted Cristiano Ronaldo to retire from international football after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The speculation further grew after he started on the bench in the knockouts, with former manager Fernando Santos picking Goncalo Ramos.

However, the Real Madrid and Manchester United legend bounced back and has been brilliant for Portugal in recent games. He has scored five goals in four UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers.

After A Selecao's win over Iceland, manager Roberto Martinez heaped praise on Ronaldo for his commitment and desire to help the team (via Record):

"When you're out, you don't know the secret. Playing until he was 38, playing the games he played ... When you're with him, you understand why. His commitment, his total dedication, that incredible desire to be the best and improve everyone. It's something we see in very young players..."

Martinez said that he isn't surprised at seeing Cristiano Ronaldo's dedication to the sport and Portugal:

"I think Cristiano has that freshness. The physical data against Bosnia was fantastic, so he was able to play the full 90 minutes in both games. And now, I start to better understand the physical appearance of the players and see who can play more than two games in 72 hours."

He added:

"Cristiano did not surprise me with his ability; after 200 games for the national team, you can imagine the commitment; being at the highest level, it could be very easy to accept that you will not be at your best."

Portugal lead Group J in the Euro Qualifiers after winning all four of their games. The next set of games will be in September.