Cristiano Ronaldo is still going strong at the age of 40, playing for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team, but he has admitted the end is coming “soon”
Cristiano Ronaldo will retire from football after the 2026 World Cup, according to his former team-mate Nani. Ronaldo is still going strong at the age of 40, playing for Al-Nassr and Portugal, but he is undoubtedly nearing the end of his career.
The veteran forward joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr in 2023 after leaving Manchester United under a cloud following a falling out. He has continued to plunder goals in the Middle East and still has a starring role in Roberto Martinez’s Portugal side, for whom he has a staggering 143 goals in 225 appearances.
But in an interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo has admitted he has thought a lot about retirement. Asked if he knew when he would call time on his career, he replied: “Soon. But I think I will be prepared. It will be tough, of course. It will be difficult? Yes. Probably [I] will cry, yes…
“I’m [an] open person. [It] will be very, very difficult, yes. But Piers, I prepare my future since [the age of] 25, 26, 27 years old, I prepare [for] my future. So I think I will be capable to support that pressure.”
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Ronaldo has one eye on the World Cup, which takes place across Canada, the United States and Mexico in June and July next year. Nani played with Ronaldo at United and for Portugal and believes that a successful tournament would provide the perfect opportunity to bow out on a high.
“I think this World Cup is very important for Cristiano Ronaldo,” he told Covers. “If he can play and win, that will be the perfect end to his career. I think that will be the time he says, ‘I’m happy, I’m retired now. I’ll just drink my coffee and my tea and have peace. I don’t want any more training sessions. I don’t want anything to do with football.’
“But yeah, he will give his best to help the country, as he’s always been doing. I think he’s motivated, you can see the way he’s been playing. So I think it will be a great season for him as well, and then probably we’ll have a chance. We’ve got a chance.
“I think he needs the team to help. He needs to be connected with the team to help the team as well, because it’s very important. He can score goals. His presence on the field and with the team is very important to help the team have the confidence to perform.
“All the players around him need to be at their best, because if all the players around him are at their best, with no problems in their heads, and then perform for him and help him to achieve his targets as well, and he does the same thing, I think we’ll have a great chance.”
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