Stuart Broad's approach was undoubtedly wise. The England legend paid off his career finale with a brilliant six-pointer and a crucial pitch to help his team overcome the greatest opponents of all time, Australia.
However, such an ending is not something that every athlete can have, and many more end their careers in obscurity. So, is it possible to choose to retire at the top of your rope and end your career gracefully, or to maintain your dignity?
There's a way to retire known as the "Cristiano Ronaldo model": playing healthy football in a lower-level league and playing against opponents who are far less powerful than you, but still getting a good salary. As many as 14 of the 18 clubs in this league have an average audience of less than 9,000 people per game. Admittedly, who can resist a job with an estimated £173 million a year and a king-like status, but should the enjoyment of money and status be accompanied by a more mature and cultured attitude?
This begs the question: Cristiano Ronaldo, what exactly are you doing?
In the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo, who won for Riyadh, twice elbowed Saudi international Ali Blahi in the match against Riyadh Crescent, and the player had previously acted provocatively.
Ali Blehi, the 34-year-old centre-back who has moved from team to team, is like a villain in football, always trying to challenge the strong. However, while other world-class players such as Son Heung-min and Lionel Messi chose to settle down, Ronaldo chose to counter violence with violence. He hit Ali Blech twice in the chest with an elbow, causing him to fall to the ground and Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for it. Shockingly, he didn't stop there, instead making a feint of punching the referee (though it may have been a pretence, but it was enough to make his teammates fearful).
In the audience singing "Messi, Messi", Ronaldo actually applauded mockingly and gave the audience a thumbs up to show disdain. It is worth noting that Riyadh Victory was already 2-0 down at the time, while Riyadh Crescent's goals were scored by Salem Dawasari, who scored a brilliant winner for Saudi Arabia at the World Cup, and Malcolm, who had a mediocre performance for Barcelona. Although Sadio Mane pulled a goal back for Cristiano Ronaldo's Riyadh victory, they were still knocked out of the competition.
This is not Ronaldo's first aberrations in Saudi Arabia, nor is it the first time he has misbehaved against Riyadh Crescent. In the previous match, when Riyadh Victory lost 0-2 to Riyadh Crescent, Cristiano Ronaldo actually stuck the opponent's team's jersey thrown by the fans to his private parts and threw it back, which was really unbelievable.
As a 39-year-old adult and father of five, Ronaldo's behavior is really incomprehensible. He has been known for his stubbornness, irritation and peacock-like stride throughout his career – whether it's refusing to come off the bench at Manchester United, leaving the pitch after being substituted, knocking out a child's phone, not celebrating a goal because a teammate didn't pass the ball to him, throwing water at a photographer or yelling at the referee and pushing away fans who try to take a selfie. These events have all happened in the past three or four years, and one can't help but wonder if Ronaldo's behavior is becoming more and more childish and irritable.
He throws tantrums when his team loses, when he is sent off by the referee, when his teammates don't pass the ball to him or when the coach replaces him, and when Messi's name is sung in the crowd. We hope that he will come out of this stage as soon as possible and face the challenges and difficulties in his career with a more mature and rational attitude.
But as one of the greatest players in the history of football who has it all, perhaps he should stop this ridiculous sensationalism and set a better example for his tens of millions or even billions of fans, as long as he behaves in a manner appropriate to his age and status.