Soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo is gearing up for one last shot at the FIFA World Cup.
The Portuguese superstar, 40, confirmed that the 2026 World Cup will “definitely” be his last and that he would retire “soon” during an interview at the Tourise Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, November 11.
“I am enjoying the moment, but when I mean soon, it’s really soon,” he said, “because I give everything for football. I’m in the game for the last 25 years, I did everything, I have many records in the different scenarios in the clubs and also in the national team — I’m really proud. So let’s enjoy the moment and live the moment.”
The 2026 World Cup, which North America will host, will be Ronaldo’s sixth. Though he’s among the most accomplished players in the tournament’s history as the all-time leading World Cup goal scorer and the only men’s player to score a goal in five different World Cups, he is still seeking an elusive championship for his country. He helped lead Portugal to a fourth-place finish in 2006, his first appearance, but Portugal has not advanced past the quarterfinals since.
Ronaldo added that while he’s almost ready to call it a career, he still feels good enough to contribute at a high level.
“So, the moment is good, I feel very good in this moment,” he said. “I score goals, I still feel quick and sharp, I’m enjoying my game in the national team and [the Saudi Pro League’s] Al Nassr, but of course, let’s be honest, when I mean ‘soon’ it’s probably one, two years I’ll still be in the game.”
But even if this is the last World Cup for Ronaldo, he hopes his family’s presence on soccer’s biggest stage is just beginning. He is the father of Cristiano Jr., 15, who is currently a member of Portugal’s under-16 club. Cristiano Sr. said he hopes his son can be an even better player than he is.
“Human beings, we don’t want nobody being better than us,” he said. “But in my point, I wish if my kids will be better than me, I’m never going to be jealous of him, trust me. As a father, I’m here to help him to be whatever he wants to be.”
He struck a similar tone in the 2022 Netflix docuseries I Am Georgina, which profiled his now-fiancée Georgina Rodriguez, where he said he would “never pressure” his son to play soccer but that he could be “great” if he chose to pursue the sport.
“He will do what he wants,” Cristiano Sr. said. “Also, what I want the most for [Cristiano Jr.] and everyone else is that they’re happy and that they choose what they want. I will support in any way.”
Cristiano Sr. shares his son with a mystery woman who he has never publicly identified. He also welcomed twins Eva Maria and Mateo, 7, via surrogate in 2017. He and Georgina Rodriguez share daughters Alana, 8, and son Bella, 3. Bella’s twin brother, Angel, died in labor in 2022.
