Ronaldo explains why he doesn’t love football anymore like he used to

• Ronaldo Nazario has stunned the football world with his latest declaration suggesting he has fallen out of love with the sport
• The 47-year-old made the statement at the Mouratou Annual Charity Gala aimed to raise funds for aspiring tennis players
• R9’s comment might not be an out-of-the-blue assertion, with reports suggesting he is considering selling his club, Rayo Vallecano

Brazilian football legend Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima has revealed that he has fallen out of love with football.

The 1994 and 2002 World Cup winner claims the sport has become ‘boring’ for him, and he struggles to sit through an entire 90-minute game.

Ronaldo snubs football for tennis

The former Barcelona and Real Madrid goal poacher, considered by many as the greatest striker to ever play the game, as cited by GOAL, shared this sentiment during the Mouratou Annual Charity Gala.

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Football

R9 has however professed his affection for a different sport entirely – tennis, claiming his new-found passion even surpasses his past enthusiasm for football.

Why Ronaldo loves tennis more than football?

Ronaldo’s revelation surprised many, given his storied career and immense impact on football.

He expressed that tennis captivates him in a way that football no longer does, offering him an engaging experience that extends beyond the usual regulation time of a football match.

“I think today I love tennis more than football. It’s unbelievable, I can’t watch football matches, I find them very boring. But I can watch tennis for five hours, it’s crazy,” said Ronaldo, as cited in a video by Tennis Majors.

Reflecting on his transition from football to tennis fandom, the two-time Ballon d’Or winner highlighted the excitement and continuous action in tennis as key factors in his newfound passion.

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Football

He also revealed he has been training quite often to get better at his new found ‘love’ while lamenting about his backhand, a technique in tennis where the back of the hand precedes the palm when swinging the racket.

“I’m training three times a week, I’m still very competitive. I want to be better every day, but my backhand, my God… I think that’s the only thing Patrick [Mouratoglou] can’t fix,’ added the former player.

Messi eulogizes Ronaldo

In a previous publication, Sports Brief reported that Lionel Messi has named Ronaldo as the best player he has ever seen.

The iconic Argentine, widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, holds this view despite coming from a nation rich with football legends, including Diego Maradona.