Cristiano Ronaldo has said the 2026-27 season could be the final year of his playing career, offering his clearest indication yet that retirement is approaching. The 41-year-old has spent more than two decades at the highest level and, with his contract at Al Nassr running until June 2027, has now begun speaking openly about what he wants his life to look like once football is over.“This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy,” Ronaldo told Vogue in an interview published on Sunday.
Ronaldo opens up about life after football
Ronaldo has previously spoken about retirement without committing to a particular date. In November, he said he expected to continue playing for “one or two years” and confirmed that the 2026 World Cup would be his final tournament.Portugal were eliminated by Spain in the round of 16 last month. Ronaldo scored three goals at the tournament and became the first player to score at six different World Cups, finishing his World Cup career with 11 goals from 27 appearances.He was less specific about his overall playing future after Portugal’s exit. His comments to Vogue are the closest he has come to putting a timeframe on it.Ronaldo said he has already planned for the period after football and expects to spend more time with his family, travel and play and watch padel.“I have my future all mapped out,” he said. “I have so many things to keep me busy that to tell you just one thing is hard.“Because football could leave a big hole, you have to fill your time in various ways, not just one. And also have more fun, travel more, watch and play padel, which I really like, and continue to enjoy what I’ve earned — what we’ve earned.“Because after all it’s been 25 years with a lot of sacrifice.”
A final season with Al Nassr and Portugal still ahead
Ronaldo remains contracted to Al Nassr until June 2027 and has continued to play for Portugal after the World Cup.He is also 24 senior goals short of reaching 1,000, a milestone he has spoken about wanting to achieve during the latter stages of his career.Portugal’s new manager, Jorge Jesus, described Ronaldo as a “symbol of Portuguese football” after taking the job in July and said he would continue selecting him while the forward remains fit and playing.Ronaldo’s three goals at the 2026 World Cup took his international total to 146, the highest in men’s international football.His club career has continued alongside those international records. He began at Sporting CP before moving to Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al Nassr. His most prolific spell came in Madrid, where he scored 450 goals in 438 appearances, becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer.
The career Ronaldo is preparing to leave behind
Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Ors and five Champions League titles, along with league championships in England, Spain and Italy. With Portugal, he won the European Championship and Nations League.His career has also produced records across club and international football, including his position as men’s international football’s leading goalscorer and his six World Cup appearances.The 2026 tournament was already established as the end of his World Cup career. Now, with the new domestic season beginning, Ronaldo has indicated that the wider playing career could have only one more season left.His comments came in an interview conducted five days before his marriage to Georgina Rodríguez in Cascais, Portugal. The couple had been together for nearly a decade before announcing their marriage with a photograph of their wedding rings.Ronaldo has also spoken about wanting to spend more time with his family after football and about the interests he intends to pursue away from the sport.
Messi has also raised questions about his future
Ronaldo’s comments came shortly after Lionel Messi expressed uncertainty over how much longer he would continue playing following the death of his father, Jorge.The pair have spent much of the past two decades at the centre of football’s defining individual rivalry, collecting major individual awards and setting scoring records while playing for Barcelona, Real Madrid and their respective national teams.Both are now 39 or older, with Ronaldo at 41 and Messi at 39, and both have recently spoken about circumstances that could bring their playing careers towards an end.For Ronaldo, there is still football to play, goals to chase and a contract that extends into 2027. But for the first time, he has put the possibility of retirement at the end of the current season into his own words.
