Cristiano Ronaldo reveals the key to his longevity and the importance of meditation

The Juventus superstar insists it is his focus away from the training pitch that has helped to maintain his success at the age of 34

Jack Rathborn
Tuesday 29 October 2019 09:03 GMT
Comments
Christiano Ronaldo breaks down in tears after seeing footage of late father

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed his obsession to “stay young” as he continues to maintain his standards at 34 years of age while at Juventus.

The Portuguese recently scored his 700th career goal.

And Ronaldo believes his longevity comes down to his obsession to look beyond the training pitch to remain on top, including his love of meditation.

“My goal is to stay young as you get older, so competitive. Give me a player of my age who performs as much as I do at age, in a team like Juventus? It’s very difficult, you know,” Ronaldo told France Football.

“They say that I have an athlete’s body, but it’s not just the physical or the training.”

“There is the lifestyle, nutrition, sleep, the choice of exercises that you do. About 70 per cent of his life is devoted to football. You have to be smart to last. I call it the education of a footballer.

“Look at the young players! At 25, how many of them who have incredible potential, are injured recurrently. Do you think it’s a coincidence? They say it’s all bad luck. In life you can: I chose to follow those who are lucky.

Ronaldo salutes the Juventus fans (Getty)
Ronaldo salutes the Juventus fans (Getty) (Juventus FC via Getty Images)

“If I have the career I have, it’s because I’ve done things in order. Being at the top for 2-3 years is one thing, but try to be at it for 16-17 years..Do you think it’s just a question of talent?

“I tried it (meditation), 15/20 mins, it really works. It calms and brings me a lot of serenity. I meditate almost every day, working especially on breathing. In those moments, I’m in my bubble. But there are so many ways to meditate

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in