Older players like Ronaldo should step aside - Futsal legend Ricardinho
FT Desk
- 22 Sept 2022 10:29 BST
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo looked unimpressed at the Portuguese Golden Globes ceremony when futsal legend Ricardinho suggested older players should step aside.
Ronaldo was back in his native Portugal for their "Quinas de Ouro" awards ceremony, where Ricardinho was recognised after a glittering futsal career in which he scored 141 goals in 187 caps for his country.
Like Ricardinho, Ronaldo has smashed goalscoring records for his nation, plundering 117 in 189 outings, but the similarities between the pair are not endless.
Como o António Costa diz “elaaaaahh” ahahaha Ronaldo sentiu, Ricardinho tá se a cagar pic.twitter.com/Za9G68zxou
— bigmloucolouco (@bigmloucolouco) September 20, 2022
Ricardinho, like Ronaldo, is 37, and called time on his international career last year. It's a decision he spoke on after receiving his award.
"I stepped down from the national team so the younger generation could take over and today I'm sure it was the right decision," he said.
At that very moment, the cameras cut to Ronaldo, who was stony-faced.
Ronaldo to play on
Ronaldo had previously planned to make the upcoming World Cup in Qatar his last international tournament, but he has since announced that he plans to play at Euro 2024, by which time he will be 39.
Ronaldo remains a goalscoring asset for Portugal, and scored a brace in a 4-0 win over Switzerland as recently as June.
Things have begun to go south for him at club level, though. The attacker wanted to leave Manchester United this summer after they failed to qualify for the Champions League, but he had no viable takers.
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Instead Ronaldo stayed, but he has only started three of a possible eight games in all competitions this season, and only opened his account for the campaign with a penalty against Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League last Thursday.
Ronaldo is part of Portugal's most recent squad for their UEFA Nations League games against the Czech Republic and Spain. He is the oldest player by three years, with the 39-year-old Pepe not included this time.
