England legend Stuart Pearce was still playing top-flight football at the age of 40.
So he is well-qualified to speak about Cristiano Ronaldo’s continued efforts to thrive at the elite level.
While Ronaldo has spent most of the last two seasons in Saudi Arabia, the 39-year-old is leading the line for Portugal at Euro 2024.
But questions were asked of his performance in the 2-1 victory over Czech Republic, which saw him play the full 90 minutes.
On commentary for talkSPORT, Pearce even suggested Ronaldo was being overlooked by his teammates.
Nevertheless, ‘Psycho’ is a huge admirer of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
When asked about whether Ronaldo should start the next game, against Turkey on Saturday, Pearce said: “I don’t know the relationship that Roberto has with Ronaldo.
“He is what he is, he’s an icon of world football and has been for a couple of decades.
“In the game, they knocked on the door for 60 minutes and didn’t get the goal they wanted.
“I probably would’ve made a change and he would’ve been the change, with [Diogo] Jota on the bench and players like that.
“But Roberto understands his worth to the football team more than I do.
“I don’t work on the inside of it and how he affects others around him and how he cajoles them.
“I know the one thing I look at Ronaldo and I admire about him, probably most, his professionalism, but more importantly, I think he really cares about Portugal. You know, and he drives the team on and you see his interaction.
“I look at the lead up to the game in the warm up, how he gets around all his teammates, all of those type of things, how he goes to the crowd and cajoles the crowd. All of those things are really important to a team as well.”
Pearce spent 12 years at Nottingham Forest before short spells at West Ham, Newcastle and Manchester City during the final five years of his career.
He accepts that Ronaldo prolonging his career is more difficult due to the extra physical demands of being a striker.
And the former full-back believes Al Nassr star Ronaldo may need to seek new challenges to stay motivated at the top level.
When asked about Ronaldo in light of his own career, Pearce added: “Yeah, it won’t be easy for him.
“He wants to play as long as he can and I admire him for that. You know, obviously he doesn’t need the money, that is for sure. So to keep driving on and striving him on, I admire that.
“I would say to him, as long as you’re physically fit, keep going. He’s playing in a much different position to me.
“I finished when I was 40, but I was a defender. It’s a lot easier being a defender, I think, than it is a forward trying to create things.
“And you need that burst of pace and energy. My game was about maybe reading it and you could get away with it a little bit more.
“But when you look at Ronaldo, just incredible. For me, a big one for me, I’d been at a club for 12 years at the age of 35.
“Then I got a move, changed clubs to Newcastle, then changed clubs a couple of times. I had three clubs in five years, which is unusual for me. I’d been at one club for 12 years and looking back now, that was the big inspiration for me. It was a new challenge.
“He has to keep looking for new challenges, I think, to spur himself on.”
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News Summary:
- I played until 40 and admire Cristiano Ronaldo – but he should seek new challenges to stay at the top
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