Accompanied by his son Alex, Brazil’s soccer star Ronaldo at a press conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Monday.SD-Agencies

In this Jan. 26, 1997, file photo, Ronaldo shows off his FIFA Player of the Year trophy to the crowd in Barcelona, Spain. SD-Agencies

In this March 11, 2007, file photo, AC Milan’s Ronaldo celebrates after scoring against Inter. SD-Agencies

In this April 11, 1998, file photo, Inter Milan’s Ronaldo celebrates a goal against Paulo Sousa in Rome.SD-Agencies

In this June 26, 2002, file photo, Brazil’s Ronaldo celebrates after scoring against Turkey in Saitama, Japan. SD-Agencies

Mentally, I wanted to continue, but I have to acknowledge that I lost the fight to my body.

— Ronaldo

BRAZILIAN great Ronaldo admitted injury had finally got the better of him as he called time on his remarkable career.

The three-time FIFA Player of the Year tearfully announced his retirement at the age of 34 Monday.

“As you can imagine and you heard during the whole weekend, I’m here to [confirm that] I’m closing my career as a professional player,” the former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid star told reporters at a press conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Ronaldo’s finest hour came at the 2002 World Cup, when his masterly performances helped see Brazil crowned world champions and earned him the Golden Boot, but three serious knee injuries cast a pall over his later years in sport.

“The pain made me anticipate the end of my career,” Ronaldo told the press conference, at which he was flanked by his sons Alex and Ronald.

A clearly emotional Ronaldo revealed he had for many years been battling hypothyroidism, a deficiency of thyroid hormone, which affected his ability to stay on top of his weight. The striker also confirmed a muscle injury sustained last week had been the trigger for him to call time on his career.

He said: “I thought about it at home and realized that it was time. I had given everything that I had.”

“Four years ago at Milan I discovered I was suffering from a complaint called hypothyroidism, which slows down your metabolism, and to control it I would have to take some hormones that are not permitted because of anti-doping rules,” he said.

“It’s very hard to leave something that made me so happy. Mentally, I wanted to continue, but I have to acknowledge that I lost the fight to my body,” a visibly upset Ronaldo said.

Ronaldo had been expected to see out the season with current club Corinthians and retire in July but the club’s early elimination from the Copa Libertadores at the hands of Deportes Tolima a fortnight ago is also believed to have contributed to his decision to end his career ahead of schedule.

Ronaldo was seen visiting his teammates at Corinthians’ training ground, where he spoke briefly before leaving to confirm his retirement to the world’s media.

“I thanked all the players, the coach Tite, for all the minutes, for every second I was with them,” added Ronaldo.

“It was a very beautiful career, wonderful and exciting. [There were] a lot of defeats and a lot of victories. I made a lot of friends, and I can’t recall any enemies.”

Ronaldo’s footballing achievements have at times been overshadowed by controversy, starting with his late withdrawal and then reinstatement before the 1998 World Cup final against France — which Brazil lost 3-0.

He has had several high-profile relationships, and after a parental test last year showed he had fathered his fourth child to a waitress he met in 2002, Ronaldo announced he’d had a vasectomy.

He hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in 2008 when he admitted picking up three prostitutes who turned out to be transvestites. Ronaldo accused one of them of trying to extort money from him.

But despite his recent problems, he will be remembered as one of the greats of the game.

(SD-Agencies)