RIYADH: Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Tuesday that the FIFA World Cup 2026 will mark the end of his illustrious international career, bringing one of football’s greatest eras to a close.
The 40-year-old forward — who has scored over 950 goals across club and country — also revealed that he plans to retire from football within the next one or two years.
When asked during a Saudi forum via video link whether the 2026 tournament would be his last, Ronaldo replied:
“Definitely, yes. I’ll be 41 by then, and I think it will be the right time.”
Ronaldo, who joined Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia in 2023, further clarified his recent remarks about retiring “soon.”
“To be honest, when I said soon, I meant probably in one or two years. I’ll still be playing for a bit longer,” he said.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner hopes to appear in his sixth World Cup, a rare feat in football history. His closest attempt at winning the trophy came in 2006, when Portugal were eliminated by France in the semi-finals.
Although Portugal has not yet confirmed qualification for the 2026 World Cup — to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico — they can secure a spot by defeating Ireland on Thursday.
Recently, Ronaldo became the top scorer in World Cup qualifying history, netting twice against Hungary to reach 41 goals, surpassing former Guatemalan striker Carlos Ruiz’s tally of 39.
The ex-Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus star also holds the record as the highest-scoring player in international football, with 143 goals.
In an interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored last week, Ronaldo opened up about the emotions tied to his inevitable retirement:
“Will it be difficult? Yes. Will I cry? Probably, yes. I’m an emotional person — it will be very, very hard.”
Ronaldo signed with Al Nassr after parting ways with Manchester United in late 2022 — a move that sparked a wave of high-profile transfers to Saudi Arabia.
At the time, sources revealed his deal was worth around €200 million per year, and he extended his contract by two years this June.
According to Bloomberg, Ronaldo recently became football’s first billionaire, while Forbes ranked him as the highest-paid footballer for the sixth time in 10 years, with annual on-and-off-field earnings estimated at $280 million — more than double that of Lionel Messi.
Saudi Arabia, investing heavily in sports and entertainment as part of its Vision 2030 plan, was officially announced as the host nation for the 2034 FIFA World Cup last December.
