• Ronaldo: 'I think of a move but I can't perform it as
I want to'
• 'It's very hard to leave something that made me so happy'
Ronaldo has tearfully announced his retirement,
admitting his body had finally succumbed to the crippling litany of
injuries that have blighted his remarkable career.
The 34-year-old's career arguably reached its zenith with his
masterly performances at the 2002 World Cup, but three serious knee
injuries cast a pall over his later years in sport.
The three-time Fifa World Player of the Year will be perhaps
best remembered for his international exploits, having scored 15
World Cup goals, breaking the record previously held by Gerd
Müller. He scored eight goals in the 2002 tournament in Japan and
South Korea, including both goals in the 2-0 final victory over
Germany, and in total scored 62 times for Brazil in 97
appearances.
But the latter years of his career had been little more than a
constant struggle for fitness and in announcing his retirement
Ronaldo admitted he was giving up an uneven struggle.
"The pain made me anticipate the end of my career," Ronaldo told
a press conference, at which he was flanked by his sons Alex and
Ronald. "It's very hard to leave something that made me so happy.
Mentally I wanted to continue but I have to acknowledge that I lost
to my body."
A clearly emotional Ronaldo revealed he had for many years been
battling hypothyroidism, a deficiency of thyroid hormone which
affected his ability to stay on top of his weight. The striker also
confirmed a muscle injury sustained last week had been the trigger
for him to call time on his career. He said: "I thought about it at
home and realised that it was time. I had given everything that I
had."
In an earlier interview with the Brazilian newspaper O
Estado de S. Paulo, Ronaldo said: "I want to stay but I can't.
I think of a move but I can't perform it as I want to. It's time.
My body aches. The head wants to continue but the body can't take
much more."
Ronaldo had been expected to see out the season with Corinthians
and retire in July but the club's early elimination from the Copa
Libertadores at the hands of Deportes Tolima a fortnight ago is
also believed to have contributed to his decision to end his career
ahead of schedule. The loss to Tolima triggered an angry response
from some Corinthians fans, with players' cars and the team bus
subsequently vandalised. But Ronaldo insisted the unrest did not
hasten his departure. "I've never seen fans with so much passion,"
he said. "Their need for results sometimes made them a little
aggressive, a bit out of control."
Earlier on Monday Ronaldo had been seen visiting his team-mates
at Corinthians' training ground, where he spoke briefly before
leaving to confirm his retirement to the world's media. "I thanked
all the players, the coach Tite, for all the minutes, for every
second I was with them," said Ronaldo.
"It was a very beautiful career, wonderful and exciting. [There
were] a lot of defeats and a lot of victories. I made a lot of
friends and I can't recall any enemies." Asked what he would do
with his time, he said: "I have my future well organised. I will
work for my company ... I have to put a lot of dedication into
that."
Ronaldo first moved to Europe as a 17-year-old in 1994 when he
joined PSV Eindhoven from Cruzeiro. A prolific scorer in the
Eredivisie, he joined Barcelona despite knee problems which had
blighted him in his second season in Holland, going on to achieve
record-breaking success in Spain.
He spent just a year at Barça, scoring 47 goals in 49 games and
becoming the youngest player to win the Fifa World Player of the
Year award, before contract wrangles saw him join Internazionale
for a then world-record fee of £19m. His success continued at
Inter, though injury problems hindered his time in Italy, then at
Barça's great rivals Real Madrid.
Ronaldo returned to Italy to join Milan in 2007 but after
suffering a third serious knee injury he returned to Brazil in
2009, signing a deal with Corinthians where he would go on to
finish his career with the proud record of 352 goals in 515
appearances at domestic level.