Sao Paulo: Ronaldo says he is retiring from football because he can't stay fit anymore, ending a stellar 18-year career in which won two World Cup titles with Brazil and thrived with some of Europe's top clubs.
The 34-year-old Ronaldo, who holds the World Cup scoring record, said Monday that a string of injuries in the past two years have kept him from performing at a high level with Brazilian club Corinthians.
"The pain made me anticipate the end of my career," he said.
Ronaldo also said that he found out four years ago that he had hypothyroidism, a condition that made it difficult for him to lose weight and stay in shape.
"It's very hard to leave something that made me so happy," Ronaldo said with tearstained cheeks. "Mentally I wanted to continue, but I have to acknowledge that I lost (the fight) to my body."
With his uncanny sprints toward goal and an incredibly accurate finishing touch, he captivated fans everywhere he played, including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan.
All despite having to comeback from three serious knee injuries that threatened to end his career earlier than expected.
"My career was beautiful, was wonderful," he said. "I've had many defeats but infinite victories."
Ronaldo's contract with Corinthians was expected to end at the end of the year, but his physical condition kept deteriorating. Visibly out of shape, he was not able to perform well and fans were jeering him after every missed play.
The announcement came just days after he was heavily criticized by Corinthians fans for the team's elimination from the Copa Libertadores, Latin America's most important competition and the only major tournament the popular Brazilian club has yet to win.
Supporters damaged players' cars and threw rocks at the team's bus to protest, but Ronaldo said he only wanted to thank Corinthians fans for their support.
"I've never seen fans with so much passion," he said, his voice cracking.