A former Champions League winner who retired at the age of 43 looks unrecognisable from his playing days - and claims to have a better physique than Cristiano Ronaldo.

The star, who called it a day in 2017, has ditched the conventional footballer's body for one more akin to a bodybuilder in his post-football life.

The now-49-year-old, who once shared a dressing room with the likes of Ronaldo Nazario at Real Madrid, has been showing off his incredible toned torso and regularly posts photos of his strict workout routines and healthy lifestyle to his 2.8million Instagram followers.

Though he featured for Madrid, he also played for the likes of Bayern Munich and in his home country of Brazil in what was an impressive playing career which included winning titles across Europe and South America.

Now, however, football is behind him, and he recently insisted he honestly believes that his body is better than the Al-Nassr forward's. 

A former Champions League winner looks unreognisable in post-retirement social media snaps shared online

'Today I would say that I have a better physique, because I played until I was 43-years-old,' he told TyC Sports. 'If he does, I will say it is him.'

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The player is Brazil legend Ze Roberto, who featured 43 times for Brazil between 1995 and 2006, scoring six goals.

He played for Madrid back in 1997, also featuring for Bayern on two occasions, firstly between 2002 and 2006 and then again on loan between 2007 and 2009.

The star played out the final days of his career with Palmeiras between 2015 and 2017, hanging up his boots well into his 40s.

Ze Roberto, who operated as a wing-back and a midfielder during his career, has since shed light on how he managed to achieve such a ripped physique, explaining that he no longer drinks and ensures he eats a healthy diet and gets regular sleep. 

He has left fans stunned by his motivational videos in which he proves it is possible to maintain a sculpted body despite hanging his boots up six years ago.

There are several similarities that Ze Roberto and Ronaldo share beyond their ripped physiques.

Both played for Real Madrid, and while Ronaldo has enjoyed playing in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr, Ze Roberto also had a spell in the Middle East, featuring for Qatar side Al-Gharafa.

Ze Roberto won the Champions League and LaLiga early in his career with Madrid before winning four Bundesliga titles and four German Cups with Bayern Munich. 

Although Ronaldo has not commented on when he may hang up his boots, he may also look to play into his 40s.