Cristiano Ronaldo acknowledged that the end of his career as a professional footballer is getting closer and left open the possibility that the 2026-27 season could be his last. At 41 years old, the Portuguese player explained that he is already beginning to prepare for his life after football and wishes to retire leaving a "spectacular legacy." He currently plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia and, although he has a contract until 2027, the striker himself admitted that this will likely be his last year as a professional.

Ronaldo's career began at Sporting CP and he later played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Al-Nassr, clubs with which he built one of the most outstanding individual trophy cabinets in history. Among his main achievements are five Champions Leagues, five Ballon d'Or awards, league titles in England, Spain, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, as well as numerous domestic and international trophies. With Portugal, he also achieved glory by winning the 2016 European Championship and two editions of the UEFA Nations League. In terms of goalscoring, he has scored close to a thousand goals for club and country, with records that place him among the all-time top scorers.

With the Portuguese national team, Ronaldo debuted in 2003 and became the national team's all-time leading scorer and one of the players with the most international caps. After participating in the 2026 World Cup, his sixth World Cup tournament, he closed his participation in the top competition with 11 goals and remains one of the great figures in World Cup history. Internationally, he has registered 143 goals for Portugal, while his total career tally is around 976 goals according to records released after his recent statement, so the possibility of reaching 1,000 goals could become one of his last major objectives before bringing an end to a career spanning over two decades.