Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@cendrimkameraj
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus, Football, Serie A
Ryan Smart
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus, Football, Serie A
A former team-mate of Cristiano Ronaldo is now living a much different life after suffering three anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.
Switzerland-born right-back and winger Cendrim Kameraj came through the Juventus youth system, and played in Serie C for Juve's U23 side.
At international level, he represented Switzerland up to U19 level, before switching to Kosovo in 2019.
He occasionally trained with Juve's first team when Cristiano Ronaldo was at the club.
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He left the Italian giants in January 2019, having failed to break into Juve's first team squad.
However, Kameraj told Kosovan outlet Koha that he had no regrets over his time at the club: "It was a good moment for me. I would take the step to go to Juventus again.
"I trained with the Juventus first team. Not many players can train with a big team like Juventus."
During those years at Juve, Kameraj fell behind other players in his age group due to a series of physical problems and injuries.
He failed to make a senior appearance at Lugano before leaving the club in 2021, and spent time out of football before attempting a comeback with Swiss third-tier side Kriens.
Later in 2022, he joined Albanian side Dukagjini, where made 17 appearances across three years before retiring aged 25 due to his injury issues.
Kameraj tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on three separate occasions during his career, leading to what was an emotional retirement decision.
"It was heartbreaking," he told Gianluca Di Marzio. "Football had been my identity since I was a child. For a long time I didn't know who I was without it.
"But with time I found peace, I understood that life doesn't end when your sports career ends.
"Without the injuries, I could have reached the top. However, I don't like living with 'what ifs'. I gave everything I had, and that's what matters."
Kameraj recently went viral on social media when he posted two photos - one of him training alongside Ronaldo in 2018, and the other in 2025, where he is working at a construction site.
"I work in an office at ICM Bau," he continued. "And our boss wanted us to spend a day on the construction site to understand what the work is like there and how hard it can be.
"It made us appreciate even more how lucky we are to work behind a desk."