He continues to be one of the most successful goalscorers in world football and now Cristiano Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid fitness coach has advised him to keep playing until he is 40.
The Portuguese superstar is celebrating his 36th birthday on Friday and Giovanni Mauri, 61, believes the striker has many years to go at the highest level.
Mauri witnessed Cristiano’s daily routine during Carlo Ancelotti’s time in Madrid, after having worked under the Italian boss at the top European clubs Parma, Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
Mauri said in quotes from Football Italia in Tuttosport: “When he arrived in Italy, I said he was a player outside of the norm. He has settled in and continues to score. He’s following the method we suggested to him in Madrid, where rest is an essential part of training.
“Rest doesn’t just mean sleeping. It is not passive, but rather consists of specific exercises aimed at achieving muscular, mental and articular wellbeing.
“I worked with a lot of footballers in my forties [Paolo] Maldini too [Alessandro] Costacurta. When I was at PSG I was sure [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic would have played until he was 40. They are all athletes with great flexibility despite their strength.
“Despite its weight of almost 100 kg, Ibra has the mobility of a dancer. Cristiano Ronaldo is part of this category and can play until he is 40 years old. “
Ronaldo scored a remarkable club record of 450 goals in 438 games for Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018 and scored 87 goals in 112 games for Juventus.
He has scored 763 senior goals throughout his career and is expected to continue down this path for several more seasons.
