In the minutes after helping Real Madrid win their third straight UEFA Champions League trophy, Cristiano Ronaldo dropped the most unexpected of transfer bombshells on the world.
With three more seasons remaining on his current contract, Ronaldo appeared to hint that he expects leave the club this summer, at the age of 33.
“It has been very nice playing for Real Madrid,” he told the television broadcast with tears in his eyes, revealing that he will announce his plans for his future “in the coming days.”
Ronaldo: “I am going to enjoy this moment. And in the coming days I will give you a response. It was great to play for Real Madrid.” https://t.co/B9dSrXScVS
— Juan G. Arango (@JuanG_Arango) May 26, 2018
Gareth Bale, who scored Saturday’s winning goal, said something quite similar during his post-game remarks.
Perhaps it’s not the most surprising development on the whole, given his age and the obvious need for a youth movement at the Santiago Bernabeu, but to choose that stage — mere moments after winning his fifth career UCL title (four with Madrid) — to tease something so newsworthy and unexpected was certainly eye-opening.