Cristiano Ronaldo set a deadline for his enigmatic hint of retirement this Tuesday (11), saying he will hang up his boots in “one or two years”. Previously, he had announced that he would retire “soon”.
The Portuguese striker, who scored more than 950 goals for club and country, made his debut as a teenager with Sporting in 2002 and said in an interview that he would retire soon to spend time with his family.
Ronaldo has extended his contract with Saudi club Al-Nassr until 2027, and the 40-year-old Portuguese is also targeting next year’s World Cup, the only major title missing from his trophy cabinet.
“Soon for me means in 10 years… No, I’m joking,” Ronaldo said via video call at a global summit on tourism and investment hosted in Saudi Arabia.
“I’m really enjoying the moment right now. As you know, in football, when you reach a certain age, you count the months very quickly.”
“I feel really good at the moment. I score goals, I still feel quick and agile. I’m enjoying my game in the national team. But of course, let’s be honest. What I mean by soon is probably a year or two.”
2026 WORLD CUP will be RONALDO’S last
With Portugal on the verge of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, Ronaldo confirmed that the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be his farewell on football’s biggest stage.
“Definitely, yes, because I will be 41 years old [na Copa do Mundo]”, said Ronaldo, who is also the greatest scorer in history with 143 goals for the national team.
“I gave everything for football. I’ve been in the game for the last 25 years. I’ve done everything, I have many records in different scenarios at clubs and also at national teams.
“I’m really proud. So let’s enjoy the moment, live in the moment.”
CRISTIANO JR FOLLOWS IN RONALDO’S FOOTSTEPS
Ronaldo said he knows he will go down in history as one of the best players of all time.
But could his son Cristiano Jr, who is following in his footsteps playing for Portugal’s under-16 team, be a better player than his father?
“As human beings, we don’t want anyone to be better than us. But I want my children to be better than me. I will never be jealous of him,” he said.
“I don’t want to add pressure to that, because what I want for him is for him to be happy. It doesn’t matter if you want to play football or play another sport. Be happy, be free. Don’t have pressure from your father because that’s a lot.”
“This is a new generation, a different generation. They think differently, they live differently. But as a father, I’m here to help him be whatever he wants to be. I’ll be his support.”
