Cristiano Ronaldo has acknowledged that he’s “ready to accept” he has to change positions in order to prolong his career, describing it as “not a problem” and something “totally natural.”

Ronaldo won the 2016 Ballon d'Or on Monday.

“As human beings get older we lose in some areas but gain in others,” Ronaldo said. “I try to keep well physically every day. I don’t only think about this season, but next season too. For example: managing games, in the sense of not playing all of them. It’s advisable to be intelligent. You’ve got to do personalised preseasons, and think more about the end of the season, not just the beginning. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. And not just for me, but for everyone around me.”

Ronaldo will turn 32 in February.

“I’m 31 and it’s not easy, but I feel very good,” he said. “But I realise that the recuperation after games is not exactly the same. It’s a little bit slower, especially when the demand is every three days. It’s impossible to always be at your best, even for the young players. If I do things well in this aspect, I can have a long career.”