The statement could signal the beginning of the final chapter of a career that has spanned more than two decades and seen the Portuguese superstar win major honours with Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo has dropped his clearest hint yet that his extraordinary football career could come to an end after the 2026/27 season, with the Portugal captain admitting that he wants to leave behind a “spectacular legacy.”
Ronaldo, who began the new season with Al-Nassr on 15 August, suggested that the campaign could be his final one as a professional footballer.
“This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy,” Ronaldo said.
The statement could signal the beginning of the final chapter of a career that has spanned more than two decades and seen the Portuguese superstar win major honours with Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Portugal.
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in 2023 following his departure from Manchester United, but has continued to perform at the highest level despite entering his 40s.
He also represented Portugal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, further extending his remarkable international career.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored more than 900 senior goals for club and country and remains one of the most prolific players in football history.
However, Ronaldo appears increasingly conscious of life beyond the pitch and has already begun planning for his post-football years.
“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.”
The Portuguese forward acknowledged that walking away from football would create a significant void, but said he intends to fill it with family, travel, and activities he enjoys.
“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.”
Ronaldo’s comments come at a significant moment in his personal life.
He and Rodríguez married in an intimate ceremony at their home in Cascais, Portugal, on 11 August, exactly 10 years after the day they first met.
The couple also spoke about their plans to enjoy more time together and with their children as they look towards the next stage of their lives.
For Ronaldo, retirement appears unlikely to mean stepping away from an active lifestyle.
Instead, the Portugal captain suggested that he already has a clear vision of what comes next, with family, travel, padel and enjoying the fruits of a career built on 25 years of sacrifice set to become central to his life.
But before that new chapter begins, Ronaldo still has unfinished business on the football pitch.
If his latest comments prove accurate, the 2026/27 season could be the final opportunity for one of football’s greatest-ever players to add to an extraordinary legacy that has already stretched across generations.
