Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville expects Cristiano Ronaldo to keep going at a high level, even if the forward has another chapter away from Old Trafford.
Ronaldo hit a match-winning hat-trick for United on Saturday, helping them beat Tottenham Hotspur, with the achievement making him football's all-time leading goalscorer according to official records.
The Portuguese star was joined on the pitch by NFL legend Tom Brady on Saturday, with the quarterback proceeding to reverse his retirement from elite sport and announce a return at the age of 44.
Neville was on United's books when Ronaldo scored his only previous hat-trick for the club, way back in January 2008, and the 47-year-old expects his one-time teammate to follow Brady's lead in playing into his forties.
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"It wouldn’t surprise me if he carried on playing until he was 40," Neville said of Ronaldo on Monday Night Football.
"[We] saw Tom Brady come out of retirement yesterday. One of the great things about these players is longevity, it is so important to them, the idea that they can go on longer and further and still play at the highest level.
"You look at the clubs he’s player for, the leagues he’s played in, they way he’s demonstrated his skill all over the world so it wouldn’t surprise me if there was another story beyond Manchester."
"Always a pleasure and a privilege to share some thoughts and ideas with another GOAT…" Ronaldo tweeted after meeting Brady, and the following day the NFL star confirmed his return.
"These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands," Brady said.
"That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG".
Still, while Neville expects Ronaldo to keep playing into his fifth decade, the former England defender does not expect the forward to leave Europe to do so.
"I may be completely wrong, but I doubt it because I think he wants his goals to be in the toughest leagues," he said, when asked about Ronaldo potentially continuing his career.
"Maybe back in the Portuguese league, maybe there’s a story for him at Sporting Lisbon.
"I can see him playing in the top leagues for another two or three years. It wouldn’t surprise me if he wants to get to 1,000 goals."
The treble against Spurs took Ronaldo to 807 career goals for club and country - enough to overtake the official record of 805 attributed to Austrian-Czech striker Josef Bican.
