Cristiano Ronaldo’s obsessive fitness regime and age-old diet have kept him in incredible shape throughout his career… but at 38, his superpowers are starting to wane as boss Al-Nassr reveals the superstar is suffering from fatigue;

Lionel Messi was relatively wet behind the ears as he inspired Argentina to win the World Cup at the age of 35.

After all, Father Time remains undefeated even against the best, no matter how strict their diets and how obsessive their exercise routines.

Cristiano Ronaldo was offered a brutal insight into the life of an elderly athlete this week when he missed Al-Nasr’s Asian Champions League match against Al-Duhail on Tuesday due to fatigue.

Al Nasr coach Luis Castro stressed that the Portuguese needed to recover from the efforts of recent games.

“Cristiano Ronaldo will not participate in the Al-Duhail match because he is tired due to his many participations,” he said.

“I know there are those who want to see him, but he needs to rest. He’s not ready, but we have a lot of stars.

“I didn’t decide to rule out the legend Cristiano Ronaldo, but his potential did.

“Because 48 hours ago he played a match and before that he played 120 minutes.”

Under normal circumstances, resting a 38-year-old to allow him to recover from a grueling schedule would hardly be remarkable.

Except Ronaldo is not a normal 38-year-old athlete.

Like Brady, the Portuguese is notoriously meticulous about his diet and proudly wears his obsession with health and fitness routines on his sleeve.

Ronaldo complements the team’s training sessions with a personal training program.

His five weekly trips to the gym include 25-30 minutes of cardio, high-intensity sprints and targeted weights to build muscle strength.

In total, he works out for three to four hours a day and the results are there for all to see.

The former Manchester United star remains remarkably toned for someone two years shy of his 40th birthday, and tests earlier this year showed he had the body of an athlete 14 years his junior, with 7 per cent body fat — the average footballer is 11 — and 50 percent muscle mass.

“Work out wherever you can,” she said in 2015 when delving into her “Top 15 Health and Fitness Tips.”

“You can do an ab workout in your bedroom when you wake up in the morning or before you go to bed. If you get into a routine then it makes it easier as it becomes a habit.’

But even the best training regimes would be for naught without the commitment to follow them regularly.

And Ronaldo believes dedication is the main factor behind his transformation from the skinny teenager who arrived at Old Trafford in 2003 to a ripped athlete whose abs routinely grace the covers of glossy magazines.

‘[You have to] Be disciplined. Keeping yourself motivated and sticking to your routine is key. For me, there is no room for relaxation, so I have to be strict.’

Ronaldo follows his diet as meticulously as he exercises, eating six smaller meals throughout the day, as opposed to the average man’s traditional three-meal structure of breakfast-lunch-dinner.

The Portuguese has employed a nutritionist since his time at Real Madrid and favors nutrient-dense foods such as avocados and fresh fish and generally sticks to high-protein, low-fat foods such as chicken.

Unsurprisingly, Ronaldo avoids alcohol and is also notoriously averse to sugary drinks.

He caused a sponsorship headache at Euro 2020 when he prominently removed Coca-Cola bottles from his living room at a press conference before shouting in Portuguese: “Drink water!”

When Ronaldo returned to United in 2021, then third-choice goalkeeper Lee Grant revealed that his strict diet had a direct impact on the diet of his new team-mates.

Grant told talkSPORT that United’s players were avoiding desserts ahead of Ronaldo’s debut against Newcastle after noticing the Portuguese had taken the cake himself.

“Not one player touched the apple crumble and cream, not one player went for that brownie because they all sat down,” he said.

“One of the lads said to me, ‘What does Cristiano have on his plate?’

“Well, we’ve been poking around a bit and it’s apparently the cleanest, healthiest dish you can imagine.

“And I was surprised that not a single player dared to get up and take that junk food that was laid out.”

On his way back to Old Trafford, Ronaldo reportedly had a £50,000 cryotherapy chamber installed at home.

The treatment, which is also used by Manchester City star Erling Haaland, is believed to help reduce inflammation and swelling of injuries by boosting blood circulation as the body responds to the extreme cold.

Ronaldo is similarly conscientious when it comes to his rest, getting seven-and-a-half hours of sleep with five 90-minute naps instead of one long nap.

But despite his obsessive diet and training regimens, it’s no surprise that Ronaldo may eventually start to slow down.

The five-time Champions League winner has never suffered a serious injury throughout his career and his resilience has meant that his time off from the game has been excessive.

Ronaldo has played at least 30 games in a season since turning professional in 2002, only to fall short of the 40-game mark in his premiership in both of his last two seasons.

Ronaldo missed Al-Nasr’s Saudi League opener of the season in August but played the full 90 minutes in 10 of the next 11 league games – he was substituted four minutes from time in the 4-0 win over Al-Shabaab on 29 August.

Before being rested for the match against Al-Duhail, Ronaldo had also played a full game in Al-Nasr’s three matches in the Asian Champions League so far this season and played 120 minutes in the King’s Cup round of 16 clash against them Al-Etifaq last year. week.

The Portugal legend was given time off as his side thrashed Ohod 5-1 in the same competition in September following his return from international duty.

Ronaldo has so far played three times for Portugal since the start of the season, missing the match against Luxembourg in September due to suspension.

He is Al-Nassr’s top scorer this season, scoring 15 times in 16 matches.