Football legend Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be his final appearance on the global stage, signaling the impending end of his illustrious career.
The 40-year-old Portuguese icon, who has scored an incredible 953 goals across club and international play, made the announcement during an interview at the Tourism Summit in Riyadh. He also provided a timeline for his complete retirement, stating he expects to step away from professional football entirely within the next “one or two years.”
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Ronaldo affirmed his decision regarding the tournament set to be hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States: “Yes, definitely. I’ll be 41 then, and I believe that will be the right time to step away from the big competitions.”
Currently playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo still holds the record as the top-scoring men’s international player of all time with 143 goals for Portugal. He remains focused on reaching his long-standing ambition of 1,000 career goals before hanging up his boots.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who previously starred for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, elaborated on his retirement window, explaining, “To be realistic, when I say soon, it means probably one or two more years in the game.”
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Despite having captained Portugal to their historic Euro 2016 victory and collecting nearly every major honour in the sport, the World Cup remains the one major prize missing. His announcement officially marks the beginning of the final chapter for one of football’s most remarkable careers.
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