Thankfully for Real Madrid and Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo has no intentions of retiring anytime soon.The Portuguese superstar is 32-years-old but is coming off another dominant season. And after signing a contract extension at the Bernabeu in November, the forward insisted that his latest deal, which runs until 2021, won’t be the last one that he signs."I thank the people at Real Madrid, the city of Madrid, my colleagues and everyone who helped me get to this point," he said, per Marca."As I've always said, it is the club of my heart and this is a unique moment in my life, to renew for five years."But it won't be the last contract, that's clear, because in the next five years I will continue doing the same."Ronaldo has expressed a desire to play into his 40s. And who’s to say that he won’t be banging them in at that age?The former Manchester United star became the all-time top goalscorer in Europe’s top leagues this season when he overtook Jimmy Greaves’ tally of 366 strikes.And his brace for Real Madrid in their 4-1 win over Juventus earlier in the month saw him become the first player to score in three Champions League finals.
Yet it would be unwise for Los Blancos and the Portugal national team to not start planning for life without Ronaldo.
Madrid hoped Bale would be CR7's heir
Madrid had hoped that Gareth Bale would develop into Ronaldo’s heir in Spain but injuries have limited his action.
But Portugal have a player in their squad who certainly looks like a star in the making.
Andre Silva has scored seven goals in eight appearances for his country and today completed a £35 million switch from Porto to AC Milan.
Silva, 21, scored 21 goals in all competitions for Porto last season and has been called the future of Portugal, by Ronaldo himself.
“When I retire, Portugal will be in good hands because they have already found a great striker: Andre Silva," Ronaldo told Gazzetta dello Sport, per Goal.
Silva has responded
Silva, who was included in UEFA’s Champions League breakthrough team of 2016, responded to the four-time Ballon d’Or winner’s comments.
"I am calm,” the striker told MilanNews.
"I have a lot of work to do before I can express certain thoughts. No [I have not spoken to Ronaldo about the move]. I want to work hard to get closer to the words he has afforded me."
Pressure
Ronaldo led Portugal to their first major international trophy at last year’s European Championship, and now an entire nation will expect a lot from Silva.
No pressure, lad.
