New Delhi [India], May 6 : Former Tottenham and Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton has rooted for Portugal's goal-scoring machine, Cristiano Ronaldo, to continue to play till the age of 45.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner turned 40 in February and is yet to show signs of slowing down. In the ongoing season, the evergreen forward has netted 33 goals for Al Nassr.
As he continues to shatter records and thrive in his current form, the likelihood of Ronaldo extending his stay in Saudi Arabia is increasing.
According to Hutton, if Ronaldo is able to maintain his fitness and the current standard barring the injuries, he expects the Portuguese to play till 45.
"Cristiano Ronaldo probably feels that he could play to 45, no problem. Where he's playing at this moment in time, it's not the highest level. I know there's some big names out there, the way he looks after himself day to day, there's no reason that he can't go and play for another few years," Huton told BoyleSports as quoted from Goal.com.
"He'll feel that he can, no problem. He'll feel that he can still score goals. So I feel that he would go on for as long as possible. And rightly so. If you feel good, why shouldn't you?" he added.
During his playing days, Hutton came up against Ronaldo once on the field. He took a trip down memory lane and reminisced about how it felt when he witnessed Ronaldo's magic on the field.
"Playing against Cristiano Ronaldo, there's no getting away from it. It's very difficult. I mean, the size of him, especially when I first moved down, I think my first game at Tottenham was against Manchester United, actually, and was against Ronaldo," he said.
"But I loved that. I was young. I played with freedom myself, and what an opportunity to go and test yourself against one of the best. But I think in the back of the mind, you always know that he could take you apart at any moment if you switch off. He had that ability to just go past you. He had pace, he had power, and goals. He could score from anywhere," he added.
As Hutton looks back at the moment, he believes he played against one of the best in the world and as he continues to dazzle on the field, Hutton believes it is a testament of how much Ronaldo has maintained himself.
"I think it's one now that I've retired, I look back on it and you think, I've played against one of the best in the world. I think that's a brilliant thing. And for him to still be playing at the age that he is, it's just a testament to him and how he's looked after himself. What an incredible player," he said.
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