Ronaldo on target, Hong Kong heartache, what happened overnight in the world of sport

Choosing the right time to walk away is one of the toughest tasks for any sportsperson. Adding to the complexity of the decision for those individuals is that their retirement date is a matter for public discussion. If someone is comfortable with when they choose to bow out, though, who are we to tell them otherwise? Selfishly, we might want our enduring memories of our heroes to be of them in their pomp, duking with fellow greats and winning much more than they lose. But if they want to hang around for an encore, why not?

Was Andy Murray’s valedictory tour not uplifting and, perhaps, an even more compelling exhibition of one man’s courage and tenacity than anything he showed in winning three grand slam titles during men’s tennis’s most formidable era. As long as nobody is getting hurt, why not carry on? This is evidently the view of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is showing no signs of wanting to hang up his boots more than 22 years after making his professional debut for Sporting Lisbon in August 2002.

Ronaldo has been roundly pilloried for his international performances over the past few years and he, unarguably, looked a husk of his former self at this summer’s European Championship.

If he wants to keep going and people want to keep picking him, though, that is his call. Footballers are routinely told they do not care enough and that is never an accusation you could level at a player who has won seven domestic titles, four Uefa Champions Leagues and one European Championship, but still looks happy as a sandboy when he scores for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. You cannot keep the 39-year-old out of the news and that is where we begin, as we recap what happened while you were sleeping.

Ronaldo’s goals race

If his advancing years cannot get in the way of Cristiano Ronaldo’s quest for 1,000 career goals, then what were the chances for a defender from the heart of Premier League Southampton’s leaky backline?