Brazilian football icon Ronaldo has revealed the significant mental health struggles he experienced following his retirement from the sport, detailing periods of severe depression and substantial weight gain.
Ronaldo, who retired at the age of 34 in 2011, reflected on the profound emptiness he felt after concluding an 18-year career. During this time, he won the World Cup twice with Brazil, in 1994 and 2002, notably finishing as the top scorer in the latter tournament.
"When you decide to leave the game, it feels like someone close to you has died," Ronaldo said 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."
He acknowledged that while he has since found ways to move forward, the transition was challenging and took time. The experience of not competing professionally lingered with him for an extended period.
"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.
