Kaka reveals how Cristiano Ronaldo shares Zlatan & Maldini mentality »

• Kaka explains how Ronaldo shares Ibrahimovic & Maldini mentality, with Real Madrid and Manchester United still a winner.

Kaka has revealed why a move to Saudi Arabia was good for Cristiano Ronaldo, as he shares the same mentality as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paolo Maldini.

After being released by Premier League powerhouse Manchester United in November 2022, the great Portuguese forward—who had five Ballon d’Or victories to his credit—signed the most costly deal in global football and moved to the Middle East as a free agent.

Questions have been raised about Ronaldo’s decision to retire from playing in Europe, but Kaka, a former Real Madrid teammate of the legendary player, can see why the 37-year-old is eager to take on a new challenge because he is still very much a winner.

Brazil icon Kaka has told Gazzetta dello Sport of Ronaldo’s desire to collect more medals taking him to the Middle East: “I think he wants to quit football by playing. I understand him, he is a special player. Players like him bring to the team a simple concept. Winning is not like losing.

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I have the feeling that many young players don’t understand this. If they win, it’s great, if not it doesn’t matter. It’s not like this. Maldini was a great example of this. He had won four Champions League and he wanted the fifth. Players like him make the difference, Zlatan can still be useful thanks to his mentality.”

Legendary AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini played into his 40s at San Siro, while enigmatic Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 41, is still on the Rossoneri’s books and helped them win the Serie A title in 2021-22.

Ronaldo shows no signs of slowing down as he approaches his 40th birthday, with Al-Nassr head Rudi Garcia recently hinting that an evergreen talent may yet have a return to Europe in him before hanging up his record-breaking boots.