N othing, perhaps, is quite so difficult for an elite sportsperson as timing their exit. It’s not easy for any person in any job to weigh the hope of having more to give with the desire not to linger beyond their usefulness, but it’s perhaps particularly hard for top athletes because unrealistic self-confidence is so essential to their success. It takes an almost unhealthy level of self-belief for anybody to make the sacrifices to get to the top, to dedicate themselves to such a precarious vocation, to overcome all the setbacks and injuries and failures. How can someone – whose whole life has been spent assuring themselves there are no odds they cannot overcome – accept that is it, that the time has come to say goodbye?

The news that Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from international football brings with it, inevitably, a sadness.…