Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday said next year’s FIFA World Cup would be his last as he winds down one of the all-time great careers.
The 40-year-old forward, with more than 950 club and international goals, also said he would retire from soccer in “one or two years.”
“Definitely, yes,” he told a Saudi forum by video link, when asked if it would be his final World Cup next year.
Photo: EPA
“I’m gonna be 41 years old, and I think it will be the moment,” he said.
Ronaldo, who began a lucrative stint at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr in 2023, also elaborated on comments last week when he said he would retire “soon.”
“Let’s be honest, when I mean soon, it’s probably one or two years I’ll still be at the game,” he said.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is hoping to play at his sixth World Cup next year. He came closest to lifting the trophy on debut in 2006, when Portugal lost to France in the semi-finals.
Portugal have yet to qualify for next year’s tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico, but can secure their spot if they beat Ireland tonight.
Last month, Ronaldo became the top goalscorer in World Cup qualifying history when he netted twice against Hungary to reach 41 goals, overtaking retired Guatemalan international Carlos Ruiz’s 39.
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward is also the all-time leading international goalscorer with 143 strikes.
During an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored last week, Ronaldo opened up further about the realities of his looming retirement.
“It will be difficult? Yes. Probably will cry, yes. I’m an open person. It will be very, very difficult, yes,” he said.
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr after leaving Manchester United for a second time in late 2022, a move that heralded an influx of late-career stars to the oil-rich kingdom.
Ronaldo signed for 200 million euros (US$231.5 million) a year, according to a source close to Al-Nassr at the time, and inked a two-year contract extension in June.
Last month, he was named by Bloomberg as the sport’s first billionaire, and topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid soccer players for the sixth time in a decade.
With on-and off-field earnings of an estimated US$280 million, Ronaldo is to earn more than double that of second-placed rival Lionel Messi during the upcoming season, Forbes said.
Saudi Arabia, which is spending big on sports and entertainment as part of its economic diversification plan, was named in December last year as host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
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