“Life in the sea is not a shame, as many people think” – Cristiano Ronaldo’s ex-Real Madrid teammate on becoming a fisherman after retirement

Cristiano Ronaldo's former Real Madrid teammate Fabio Coentrao has retired from football and is now a fisherman. The Portuguese has no regrets over his decision and believes it is not a shame, as many think.

Coentrao started his career with Rio Ave before moving to Benfica and eventually landing at Real Madrid. He moved back to Rio Ave in 2018 before calling it quits in 2021 to become a fisherman.

Speaking to Empower Brands Channel, Coentrao revealed that his father used to own a boat and take him fishing. He sees fishing as a normal job. He said:

"The roots have been here since I was born. My father always had a boat, he was really into fishing. I used to go a lot with my father. I liked it very much. Whenever I had that bit of time off, whenever I was on holiday, my life was... it was the sea, it was fishing. And of course I knew that one day football would end, I would have to take another direction in my life. My happiness is this land, the sea. And obviously that being so, I want to lead this life."

He added:

"Life in the sea is not a shame, as many people think. It is a job like any other. Not only that, the sea is beautiful, and we need it."

Coentrao played 135 matches with Cristiano Ronaldo for club and country. He assisted the former Real Madrid forward six times, while the Al-Nassr star set up the retired star once.

Former Real Madrid star Fabio Coentrao hits out at Cristiano Ronaldo's critics

Fabio Coentrao hit out at the critics of Cristiano Ronaldo after the explosive interview with Piers Morgan last year. He claimed that the ones talking about the former Real Madrid star were nowhere close to his level and were nothing compared to him.

He was quoted by GOAL as saying:

"I don't feel motivated to talk but I had to because I don't like to hear what they say about Cristiano. There are ex-players who were nothing, they were sh*t, and they talk about Cristiano as if they were something [in football]. They don't have to talk like that."

He added:

"I was with Cristiano at Real Madrid. This guy lives football. He doesn't have to prove anything to anyone, f**k, he's a guy who scored 700 goals. There are many ex-players who talk about him, who were sh*t but profit off his name."

Cristiano Ronaldo also left Real Madrid in 2018 and moved to Juventus. He rejoined Manchester United in 2021 but had his contract terminated last year because of the interview.