Cristiano Ronaldo suggests he will retire from football in 2027 - 'I want to leave a spectacular legacy'
Published 16/08/2026 at 19:13 GMT+1
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Cristiano Ronaldo has suggested he will play for one more season before calling time on his remarkable career. The iconic former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar has established himself as one of the finest players in football history.
Ronaldo bids farewell to the World Cup as leaves stadium in Dallas following Spain defeat
Video credit: SNTV
Ronaldo told Vogue: "This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy."
The 41-year-old recently played at his sixth FIFA World Cup with Portugal and now plays his club football in Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo married long-term partner Georgina Rodriguez on Tuesday and is very much thinking about his life after football.
”I have my future all mapped out," Ronaldo said. "I have so many things to keep me busy that to tell you just one thing is hard.
”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 career is the stuff of folklore. In his first spell with United, he helped Sir Alex Ferguson's team to three successive Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in 2008.
He scored with a header in the 2008 final against Chelsea in Moscow, which United won on penalties.
After departing Old Trafford in 2009, Ronaldo signed for Real for ÂŁ80 million and enjoyed an extraordinary nine-year spell with the Spanish giants, which included four Champions League triumphs.
Ronaldo scored 451 goals in 438 games for Real and won La Liga twice.
He then played for three seasons in Italy, with Juventus, before rejoining United under then manager Ole Solskaer in 2021.
After leaving United for the second time at the end of 2022 - following the FIFA World Cup in Qatar - Ronaldo has played for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
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Ronaldo made history at this summer's World Cup by becoming the first player to score at six tournaments. He netted twice in Portugal's 5-0 win over Uzbekistan and converted a penalty in the victory versus Croatia.
But Portugal's defeat to eventual winners Spain in the last 16 means that Ronaldo's greatest moment in international football is almost certain to be at Euro 2016, with victory over hosts France in the final.
Football will soon be without both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the Argentine great who led his team to another World Cup final this summer.
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