Ronaldo says he is not planning to retire after World Cup
Former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona star Ronald Koeman says he is not planning to retire after Portugal’s FIFA World Cup victory next year. “I’m happy with my life and I will not end my career now. I have a great deal of talent and I’ll never stop playing,” Koeman told Goal Spain.
“I can’t say whether I’ll return to football or not. I don’t know what the future holds. It will be hard for me to see my son through his school years. With him (Odemwingie), I know I’ll be more involved this year than last year. I also want to do more with him, more time together.”
Odemwingie’s World Cup exploits were highlighted in the Daily Mail on Monday, with the striker’s family admitting that a lot of time is being spent on his recovery ahead of the 2018 tournament.
But Koeman does not want to rest on his laurels just yet.
“I don’t plan to use this victory as an excuse to stop playing. I feel like I have a lot of good things happening on the pitch. I hope to be able to keep working hard in the next training sessions and keep a positive attitude.
“I will try to keep pushing the players forward in all areas. When we get our break (for Christmas), I’ll have a short break and then resume training.”
Odemwingie says that when the time comes for him to call it a day, he will be more than happy to help younger players.
“If I’m called up, I can still give advice to young players and help them develop as players,” he added.
“I’ll never stop working. But I also want to help more youngsters in their development.”
Koeman was linked with the managerial job at Manchester City last November when his former team-mate Pep Guardiola was fired as manager of the Etihad with a run of poor results. But the Dutchman chose to take a much less prestigious role with Manchester United before
