Cristiano Ronaldo cannot fathom that his powers are waning because it's 'soul-destroying' for the football icon to accept.
That's the view of former England, Chelsea and Leeds physiotherapist Dave Hancock, who believes the 39-year-old cannot comprehend that he's no longer the player he once was.
Ronaldo is a great of the game, having scaled the highest of heights for the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Sporting Lisbon and Portugal over the years.
But, as he approaches his 40th birthday, he's now a man fighting against the clock.
Cristiano Ronaldo cannot fathom that his powers are waning because it's 'soul-destroying' for the football icon to accept, according to physiotherapist Dan Hancock
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Ronaldo was poor at Euro 2024, with the Al-Nassr star failing to score as Portugal crashed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals.
And Hancock, speaking to OLBG, believes he's struggling to accept his status in the modern game because it's too 'soul-destroying'.
“For players like Cristiano Ronaldo coming to the end of their career, it's soul-destroying," he said.
"I've witnessed it over many, many years. At the end of the day, you want them to go and be able to play forever, but unfortunately ageing doesn't allow us to do that.
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“I think it’s more around the psychology of the athlete getting in his mind about when is the time to call it quits, when is the time to leave.
“In my conversations with many athletes about this over the years, there comes a point when they are struggling to get out of bed and move, feeling like their body takes 30 minutes to get going before they go out on the pitch and they start thinking about what they really want to do."
Ronaldo is the richest footballer on the planet.
He is also one of the most professional, having dedicated himself to becoming one of the best in the sport's entire history.
Hancock believes it is tough for athletes to accept they're past their prime, with Ronaldo no exception.
He continued: “There will be the things that will be going through the players’ minds when they get to that age.
"The fact that they've obviously made some money and that they're secure if they've done that and they've been successful in their career.
“So that then boils into the equation is do I need the money here? Why am I doing it? And it's difficult, it's really difficult.
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Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score for Portugal at Euro 2024 this summer
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"It's difficult to give up something that you love and most of these guys have got this talent and most of them love doing what they do.
"Otherwise they'd be doing something completely different and it takes a lot."
As a physiotherapist, Hancock has seen many things over the years.
And he's expressed sympathy for Ronaldo and other top athletes who are dreading the day they have to pack it all in.
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently on his holidays after failing to net once at Euro 2024 this summer
“People think, well, they get paid loads of money and it's easy. They go to work for an hour and half a day. Let me tell you, right, there's probably 99 per cent of the population who wouldn’t be able to stick with doing what a professional athlete does," he continued.
“They just wouldn't be able to do it. Wouldn't be able to cope with it, wouldn't be able to cope with the psychology of it, wouldn't be able to go out and get up and train every day, get kicked every day.
“It takes a special breed to be able to do that day in, day out. Then for someone to be able to have to give that up is even harder.
"So I think there's telltale signs. I also think from a medical perspective, it's about education. So educating someone that your tendons are degenerative."
