Brazilian soccer phenom Ronaldo announced Monday his retirement from The Beautiful Game after 18 years because of his body’s inability to keep up with the pace of the sport, the Associated Press reported.
The striker, christened Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, is leaving at a ripened 34. He is of the most prolific scorers ever to play, having scored more than 400 career coals. He also currently holds the World Cup scoring record. But injuries that have plagued him over the past two years led him to the decision to step down from the world of football while still on top.
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“It’s very hard to leave something that made me so happy,” Ronaldo said in tears. “Mentally I wanted to continue, but I have to acknowledge that I lost (the fight) to my body.”
Beginning his career at Cruziero when he was just 16, he began exciting Brazilian fans there and at PSV Eindhoven and on to the Barcelona, Spain club and later Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and since 2009 Corinthians in Brazil, which was recently eliminated in the 2011 Copa Libertadores de América.
But his career was not without controversy. After Brazil lost to the French in the 2006 World Cup, he had not been called back to the national team, although he continued to play club football. After the Corinthians elimination, he was jeered by fans and called “fat” and “slow.”
He said the elimination was not a factor in his deciding to retire, although fans’ criticism turned into violent protesting and even threats against teammate Roberto Carlos and his family.
“I’ve never seen fans with so much passion,” Ronaldo said. “Their need for results sometimes made them a little aggressive, a bit out of control.”
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