Cristiano Ronaldo knows he does not have another 20 years left as a player but promised to give 100 per cent for the rest of his career as he turned 36 on Friday. (More Football News)
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo is in his 20th year as a professional footballer yet remains as prolific as ever, scoring 22 goals and supplying four assists in 23 appearances in all competitions for Juventus.
The Portugal captain's eight braces are more than any other player in the top five European leagues and he intends to do his utmost to maintain his incredible levels in the twilight of his career.
In a birthday post on Instagram, Ronaldo wrote: "36 years old, unbelievable! It feels like it all started yesterday, but this journey is already full of adventures and stories to remember by. My first ball, my first team, my first goal... Time flies!
"From Madeira to Lisbon, from Lisbon to Manchester, from Manchester to Madrid, from Madrid to Turin, but above all, from the bottom of my heart to the world... I've given everything I could, I never held back and I've always tried to deliver the best possible version of me.
"In return, you gave me your love and admiration, your presence and your unconditional support. And for that, I'll never be able to thank you enough. I couldn't have done without you.
"As I celebrate my 36th birthday and my 20th year as a professional footballer, I'm sorry that I can't promise you 20 more years of this. But what I can promise you, is that as long as I keep going, you'll never receive less than 100 per cent from me!
"Thank you once again for all your support and for your kind messages and initiatives during this day. It means a lot to me and you all have a special place in my heart."
Juve play Roma in Serie A on Saturday and Ronaldo will be hoping to avoid going four straight league games without a goal for the first time since November 2017 with Real Madrid.
