Exclusive: Cristiano Ronaldo’s ex-Manchester United teammate isn’t buying retirement talk appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, is nowhere close to retiring, or so believes his former teammate and Brazil’s Anderson. Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira and Ronaldo played together at Manchester United from 2007 to 2009, before “CR7’s” departure to Real Madrid.
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Recently, in an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints, Anderson opened up and reflected on his memories with Ronaldo. Recently, rumors have emerged about a potential tussle between Ronaldo and Portugal’s manager Jorge Jesus over his playing time.
Following a not-so-impressive display against Wales at the UEFA Nations League and bench time against Norway, Anderson was asked about his thoughts on Ronaldo. [Bits of Anderson’s quotes have been paraphrased for a proper language flow, although their meanings have not been changed]
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“I think Ronaldo is not gonna play all the matches. He knows that. He knows that because sometimes he doesn’t want to, because sometimes the body doesn’t allow him to. The physical [condition] doesn’t allow it. And then I see in one interview, I think he’s gonna come back to England to play for one club in England. That is amazing. One guy, 41 years old, playing in the Premier League, scoring 20 goals. You don’t want Ronaldo to score for you?” Anderson shared.
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Moreover, when discussing his World Cup performance and the online talk about his retirement, Anderson stated that he doesn’t think Ronaldo will retire anytime soon.
“I don’t think Cristiano Ronaldo will retire. Of course, when you’re 41 years old, it’s normal for your legs to be tired; it’s normal. But one week ago, Cristiano Ronaldo scored. One, like, four or five days ago, he scored for Portugal [It was ruled offside].
“And then it doesn’t matter what Cristiano Ronaldo does. People always go pick up some hating on him. The guy has nearly 1,000 goals on video. That is not like he missed a lot of goals. Not every player can do that. The guy is 41 years old, and the younger players like no score 5, 10 goals. There you see the difference between Cristiano Ronaldo,” he shared.
The former UEFA Champions League winner emphasized that Ronaldo, Messi, or Neymar hold the power to transform a game in the last two minutes, despite their ability to not perform for the rest of the 88 minutes.
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“Every year, 15, 20 goals; everyone wants him. It’s normal. He’s a top player. Doesn’t matter. Cristiano Ronaldo can play 90 minutes; he does nothing. Maybe in two minutes, he’s gonna score two goals. You lose the game. That’s true. Two goals, Cristiano Ronaldo.
It’s the same with [Lionel] Messi. Doesn’t matter. These guys play. He has to be on the pitch. It’s the same with Neymar. Doesn’t matter if Neymar has one leg; he has no legs. You have to put the body in; you have to put the player on the pitch because one time it takes two minutes for these guys to score. Yeah. Don’t need one minute for this guy to go and score; he wins the match for you. The people don’t understand,” Anderson finished.
In the same exclusive interview with ClutchPoints, arranged by BetVictor Online Casino, Anderson was also asked about Ronaldo’s mentality away from the soccer pitch. “ Ronaldo behind the cameras is an amazing guy. I give him my career because he helped me a lot,” Anderson shared.
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He also added that when he joined Manchester United, Ronaldo opened up his house for him and even helped him with training. “He’s such a lovely guy because Cristiano Ronaldo’s mentality about football is, ‘I want it.’ The mentality outside is different. He wants to win. If you go play ping pong, if you go play different games, he always wants to win. He’s competitive, but Cristiano Ronaldo has a very good heart.”
However, Anderson believes Ronaldo’s mentality over the years has changed, and he has now become a much more mature man. “He’s very busy. And I think he’s still in my opinion, he’s still an amazing guy. Of course, the mentality changes because you start being mature, you start to have kids, you have to have a different business. You have to change; you have to have a different mentality because Cristiano Ronaldo with Manchester United is one thing.
“From then on, it is completely different. He’s more mature; he’s richer. He’s much richer. He’s richer; he has different kind of business. It’s probably difficult for him as well. Going to some places is very hard. Before, I think Cristiano Ronaldo had a life to enjoy. I’m not saying he doesn’t enjoy it, but now it’s harder for him to enjoy because he is the face of football,” Anderson added.
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After finishing up with Manchester United, Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid, where he experienced his career’s brightest times. After a long spell at Madrid, Ronaldo joined Juventus before moving back to Old Trafford. He now plays in the Saudi League for Al-Nassr. On the other hand, Anderson finished up with Manchester United in 2015 and moved to Internacional and finished his career at Adana Demirspor in 2020.
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