Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that the 2026-27 season could be the final chapter of his extraordinary football career, admitting he wants to leave behind a “spectacular legacy” when he eventually retires.
The Portugal captain made the revelation in an interview with Vogue Magazine, shortly after his country’s disappointing World Cup campaign ended in the quarter-finals. Ronaldo, 41, has only one year remaining on his lucrative contract with Al-Nassr and now appears to be preparing for life beyond professional football.
“This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy,” Ronaldo said.
The statement represents one of the clearest indications yet that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is approaching the end of his playing career. Ronaldo had previously acknowledged that he was entering the final stages of his career, but his latest comments suggested that retirement could come as soon as the end of the current season.
Ronaldo’s potential farewell comes after an extraordinary 25-year career that has seen him establish himself as one of the greatest footballers in history.
He began his senior career with Sporting CP before moving to Manchester United, where he developed into one of the world’s leading forwards. His career later took him to Real Madrid and Juventus before he returned to Manchester United and eventually moved to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Nassr.
At international level, Ronaldo became Portugal’s most iconic player and helped the nation win the European Championship in 2016 and the Nations League in 2019.
The 2026 World Cup was expected to provide another opportunity for Ronaldo to chase international glory, but Portugal’s campaign ended in the quarter-finals after a 1-0 defeat to eventual champions Spain.
The tournament was Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup appearance and is now likely to remain his final involvement in the competition.
Rather than focusing solely on football after retirement, Ronaldo admitted he was already thinking about how he would occupy his time away from the sport.
“Because football could leave a big hole, you have to fill your time in various ways, not just one,” he explained. “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.”
Ronaldo also reflected on the sacrifice required to reach the highest level of the sport, pointing to the length of his career and everything that came with it.
“After all it’s been 25 years with a lot of sacrifice,” he added.
The Portugal star has already returned to Saudi Arabia ahead of the new domestic campaign, although he was not involved when Al-Nassr began their title defence with a 3-0 victory over Al-Fateh.
The Saudi club entered the new season under Ange Postecoglou after Jorge Jesus left his position at the end of last season. Jesus subsequently became Portugal’s head coach, creating an interesting link between Ronaldo’s club and international futures.
Jesus has already indicated that Ronaldo remained part of his plans for Portugal if the veteran forward was available for selection.
“I haven’t spoken to Cris yet. He will never be a problem for the national team or for me,” Jesus said during his unveiling.
The Portugal boss also described Ronaldo as a symbol of the national team and made it clear that his international future would be handled through a conversation with the player.
“As for the controversy, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. When the time comes to make a decision, I will speak with Cris and with everyone else individually. Cris is a symbol of Portugal. He will go down in history,” Jesus said.
Jesus later added that Ronaldo had always expressed a desire to finish his career at Al-Nassr and suggested that he would select him if the forward remained in a position to represent Portugal.
“It has been a great pleasure working with him. He is incredibly easy to work with. I need to speak with him to find out what he wants to do,” Jesus said. “He has always told me that he wants to finish his career at Al-Nassr. If he is in a position to be called up, I will do so.”
For now, Ronaldo’s immediate focus remains on Al-Nassr and the new season. His comments, however, have given supporters a glimpse into what could be the final year of one of football’s most remarkable careers.
If this does prove to be Ronaldo’s last season, the attention will turn to how the Portuguese icon chooses to close his career and whether he can add more silverware and individual records before finally walking away from the game.
