Billionaire Cristiano Ronaldo Says He Will ‘Probably’ Retire From Soccer After This Season

Aug 17, 2026 03:57 AM - 1 hour ago 1

Topline

Portuguese shot fable and billionaire Cristiano Ronaldo said this would “probably” beryllium his past twelvemonth playing the athletics professionally, hinting he planned to extremity his 24-year profession successful which he became the world’s highest paid athlete.

The billionaire shot prima has been the highest-paid jock successful the world for the past 4 years.

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Key Facts

In a sprawling question and reply pinch Vogue focusing connected his caller nuptials pinch longtime woman Georgina Rodriguez, the erstwhile prima guardant for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus said “this is astir apt my past twelvemonth of football, and I want to time off a spectacular legacy.”

Ronaldo, 41, besides insisted he had his early “all mapped out,” which will see having “more fun,” spending clip pinch his family of 5 children, walking and playing padel.

Ronaldo previously announced the astir caller FIFA World Cup would beryllium his last, telling reporters he was leaving the tourney pinch a “clear conscience” aft Portugal fell to Spain during the information of 16—after playing successful the past 5 editions without getting farther than finishing successful 4th place during his first World Cup successful 2006.

Ronaldo is 1 of the astir dressed up shot players successful the history of the sport—winning 5 Ballon d’Or awards, captaining Portugal to triumph the Euros successful 2016 and scoring almost 1,000 goals while playing for immoderate of Europe’s biggest teams.

Forbes Valuation

We estimate Ronaldo’s nett worthy is $1.2 billion. The Portuguese shot prima has been the highest paid athlete successful the world for the past 4 years successful a row, and made an estimated $300 cardinal successful income past year. He has played the past 4 seasons astatine Saudi Arabian nine Al-Nassr, which is reportedly paying him an estimated $235 cardinal annually. Earlier this year, he became the first athlete successful history to gross $2 cardinal successful profession net earlier taxes and supplier fees while still playing his sport.

Tangent

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, 39, besides hinted astatine retiring successful an affectional station connected social media past week aft his father’s death. "You asked maine to play successful this past World Cup truthful galore times and conscionable earlier it started was erstwhile you were astatine your worst,” he wrote successful Spanish. He added he ne'er had the chance to speak to his begetter astir Argentina’s 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Spain successful the final, and expressed uncertainty astir continuing his career. “All I ever did was play football, and now I person superior doubts astir whether I’ll support doing it for overmuch longer,” he wrote, earlier asking his father, “why couldn’t you clasp connected conscionable a small longer truthful we could decorativeness it together?”