Cristiano Ronaldo says 2025-26 season could be his last in football

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that the current season could be his final campaign as a professional footballer, with the Portugal captain entering the last season of his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.

Speaking to Vogue, Ronaldo said he wanted to finish his career by creating an “exceptional legacy”, while acknowledging that retirement would leave a significant gap in his life.

“Perhaps this is my last year in football and I want to leave an exceptional legacy,” Ronaldo said. “I have planned my future completely. I have many things that will keep me occupied, to the extent that it is difficult to tell you just one thing.”

The 40-year-old added that moving away from football would require him to find several different ways to use his time, rather than focusing on a single activity.

“Football may leave a big void, so you have to fill your time in a different way and not with just one thing,” he said. “You also have to enjoy what you have earned because, in the end, 25 years have passed, full of many sacrifices.”

Ronaldo is preparing to begin the final season of his current deal with Al Nassr. The Saudi Arabian side won the Saudi league title last season with the Portugal international playing a leading role.

He made 37 appearances for Al Nassr during the campaign, scoring 30 goals and providing five assists.

The forward missed Al Nassr’s opening match of the new season after getting married during the rest period following the World Cup. He has since returned to training with the club and could be ready to feature in their next match.

Ronaldo’s comments mark the clearest indication yet that his playing career may be approaching its conclusion, although he did not give a definite retirement date. His focus remains on completing the current season with Al Nassr after another highly productive campaign in front of goal.

The Portugal captain has spent 25 years at the highest level of the game, a period he described as being defined by sacrifice. He said his plans for life beyond football were already in place, with a range of activities expected to occupy him once he eventually steps away from playing.

For now, Ronaldo is set to continue his career with Al Nassr and could return to competitive action in the club’s next fixture. If he does leave football at the end of the season, it would bring an end to a playing career that has spanned a quarter of a century and included his continued involvement at international level with Portugal.