Brazilian football icon Ronaldo has spoken candidly about the profound challenges he faced following his retirement from the sport in 2011. The 49-year-old disclosed that he suffered from "severe depression" and experienced considerable weight gain after hanging up his boots at the age of 34.
Ronaldo, who concluded a distinguished 18-year career, described the emotional void left by football, likening the experience to losing a close companion. "When you decide to leave the game, it feels like someone close to you has died," Ronaldo stated in an interview on the Futebol Legends Talks podcast. "I suffered from severe depression, I gained a lot of weight. It was very difficult to leave football. The idea of not playing anymore was devastating."
During his career, Ronaldo achieved significant success, including winning the World Cup twice with Brazil in 1994 and 2002. He was the top scorer in the 2002 tournament with eight goals.
Despite these accolades, the transition away from professional football proved to be a difficult period. Ronaldo acknowledged that while he has since found ways to move forward and reinvent himself, the absence of competition lingered for a considerable time. "Then you realise there are other things in life that you can do, you can reinvent yourself, but the idea of not competing stayed with me for a long time," he added.
