After playing 234 matches for the Portuguese national team over a period of 23 years, Cristiano Ronaldo ( Cristiano Ronaldo ) will retire from international football at the age of 41.
On Thursday, he posted a message to his 679 million followers on Instagram saying it was time to return the number 7 jersey.
"This wasn't an easy decision, because some decisions are not made just with the mind alone—they are also made with the heart. A journey that began in August 2003 and forever changed my life has now come to an end," he said.
Even if you aren't particularly interested in football, his statistics are still noteworthy. For a long time, people have been intrigued not only by the secret to his success but also by his longevity as a top-tier player.
Ronaldo tops the all-time football scoring list with 985 goals, followed closely by Argentine player Lionel Messi ( Lionel Messi ) with 937 goals, and Brazilian soccer legend Pelé ( Pel ) in third place with 762 goals. Ronaldo has received the most Ballon d'Or nominations, a total of 18 times, and has won it 5 times. The organization stated on its website: "This highlights his enduring stability on the global football stage."
Ronaldo believes that investing in health and physical fitness is key to becoming a historic player. “If you have talent but don’t work hard, you can’t win anything,” Ronaldo said in 2016. “Throughout my career, I’ve been working hard in training and competitions. It is hard work that has led to success.”
Ronaldo's secret lies in consistently adhering to those seemingly dull basic skills.
Despite being known for his near-obsessive focus on health, in an era dominated by biohackers and the "longevity brothers," Ronaldo's approach to health and fitness is actually quite straightforward. The real challenge lies in maintaining the right habits day in and day out for decades.
In interviews with several longevity experts conducted by Business Insider, they generally recommend: getting enough sleep, maintaining a nutritious but not overly strict diet, regularly engaging in aerobic and strength training, managing stress, and setting aside time to spend with loved ones and enjoy life.
Although, as a top athlete, his calorie requirements are much higher than those of an average person, it is well known that Ronaldo's diet includes lean meat and fish, as well as a large amount of vegetables. He also avoids alcohol and excessive sugar intake, which are typical characteristics of the widely praised Mediterranean diet.
Last year, during an interview with Spanish sports commentator Edu Aguirre ( Edu Aguirre ), Ronaldo said that he does not diet. “I have a good routine. If I want to eat a hamburger and sweet potatoes today, that’s no problem, but I won’t eat any more than that.”
He added that this "free and calm" attitude towards health and physical fitness is crucial. He said that it's okay to eat less healthy food once a week occasionally, and he wouldn't label such meals as "bad." If a child offered him a cookie, he would also take it and eat it.
"For me, this is the key to everything," he said.
In an interview for the Golden Globe Awards in 2025, he described sleep as his “most important tool.” He usually goes to bed between 11 p.m. and midnight and gets up at 8:30 a.m. In the hours before bedtime, he tries to relax by taking walks with his wife or watching movies.
In May 2025, Luis Castro ( Luis Castro ), the head coach who previously worked with Ronaldo at the Saudi team Al-Hilal Riyadh ( Al Nassr ), said about Cristiano Ronaldo ( Sky Sports ): "Cristiano has a very ingrained routine, a strong culture of training, and a great respect for training and the games themselves. This makes the daily work much easier."
Castro added that what makes Ronaldo different is "what happens before and after training – what he calls 'invisible training'."
"Everything he does is arranged around his athletic performance – his diet, sleep, and recovery. He places great importance on eating well and sleeping well, making sure his body is fully prepared. In my opinion, this is clearly the source of Cristiano's longevity."
