‘Probably My Last Year’: Cristiano Ronaldo teases football retirement after 2026/27 season
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Probably My Last Year’: Cristiano Ronaldo teases football retirement after 2026/27 season")
‘Probably My Last Year’ Ronaldo teases football retirement after 202627 season Photograph: (AFP)
Cristiano Ronaldo hints at retirement at the end of the 2026–27 season, revealing in a Vogue interview that his 25-year football career is entering its final chapter.
Football veteran Cristiano Ronaldo has dropped the clearest hint on his retirement plan, revealing that he would likely step aside from the game at the end of the ongoing season. Ronaldo, 41, has his Al-Nassr contract expiring in mid-2027, and the Portuguese star doesn’t see himself prolonging his football career beyond that.
Although Ronaldo revealed last November that he would continue playing for ‘one or two more years’, his latest remarks in a Vogue interview published on Sunday (Aug 16) read, "This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy."
Ronaldo last featured in the concluded FIFA World Cup in North America, which was his sixth and final. At the 2026 edition, Spain knocked Portugal out, with Ronaldo denying all reports of his immediate retirement.
Meanwhile, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward has also already begun planning for life after football, including spending more time with his family.
"I have my future all mapped out," Ronaldo added. "I have so many things to keep me busy that to tell you just one thing is hard.
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"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,” he continued.
Football Career and Beyond
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, began his career at Sporting CP before moving to England to represent Manchester United. Following his record-breaking first spell at Old Trafford, where he lifted multiple Premier League titles and a Champions League crown, Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid in La Liga and then to Juventus in Serie A. His time with Madrid was most prolific, scoring a club-record 450 goals in 438 appearances.
Ronaldo then returned to Manchester United for his second and brief spell before moving to the Saudi Pro League in 2023.
Also, Ronaldo recently married his long-time partner, Georgina Rodríguez, in Cascais, Portugal.
