Brazil's Ronaldo expects to be out of hospital by Monday

“Friends, I had a strong bout of flu in Ibiza and had to be taken to hospital on Friday but everything is ok,” the 41-year-old said in a message on his official Twitter account.

“Tomorrow I will be allowed to leave hospital and I will return home. Thanks for all your support and your messages.”

Local newspaper Diario de Ibiza reported that Ronaldo had been taken to hospital with pneumonia. The hospital where Ronaldo is recovering could not be reached by Reuters for comment.

Ronaldo, who was on holiday in Ibiza when he was taken ill, retired from football in 2011 following a hugely successful career which featured stints at PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Brazilian sides Corinthians and Cruzeiro as well as Real Madrid, where he is a club ambassador.

He won two La Liga titles with Real, the UEFA Cup with Inter and lifted the World Cup in 1994 and 2002 with Brazil, also reaching the tournament’s final in 1998, and picked up the Ballon d’Or award for the best player in the world in 1997 and 2002.