“Look at Cristiano Ronaldo” - Jockey champion says he does not want to end up like Al-Nassr superstar after retirement decision

Jockey Frankie Dettori, who announced that he would retire in 2023, has said he does not want to end up like Cristiano Ronaldo.

The renowned Italian rider, who has won over 3,300 races in Britain since 1987, was considering retirement in 2023. His reasons included how Ronaldo's career seemed to have dwindled at Manchester United. The forward ended up on the bench more often, eventually leaving the club after a tell-all interview where he publicly slammed the club owner and manager.

Talking about his plans to retire, Dettori said to ITV Racing (via Yahoo):

“It was towards the end of the season. Not to make comparisons, but look at Cristiano Ronaldo, he was playing one minute and on the bench the next. I don’t want to end up like that. Where I’m struggling to get rides in the big races, at the moment, I still have good horses to ride, and I want to finish it like that."

The Italian rider continued:

“Next year, 2023, will be my final professional year as a jockey. It is something I have been thinking about for a while and what an appropriate day to tell the racing world that it is going to be my finale next year. My heart wants to carry on riding, but I have to use my brain, I just turned 52, next year I will be 53, I want to stop at the top."

Nonetheless, Dettori's passion for racing saw him reverse his decision to retire, and he has gone on to participate in the US, particularly in California. Out of 150 races, he has won 28 in the Santa Anita meet so far. He is now uncertain about when he will retire. The 53-year-old recently said (via Mirror):

"I don't feel ready to let go yet. I'm going to spend some time in the USA and take it from there. I could be there three months or three years, I don't know. It was a long, hard decision with myself and my wife. It's a big decision to move to another country."

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Cristiano Ronaldo not picked for Portugal's game against Sweden

There will be no Cristiano Ronaldo in Portugal's next friendly versus Sweden on Thursday, March 21. The legendary forward has been left out of coach Roberto Martinez's final 24-man roster for the game.

According to ESPN, Ronaldo is in Saudi Arabia on a vacation with his family, and the coach has opted to let him rest. The striker won't be the only one getting some rest, the others being Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, and Joao Felix.

After the Sweden encounter, these players, including Ronaldo, will return for a friendly match against Slovenia on March 26. The icon will be hoping he can be in form as Portugal prepare for the Euros this summer.