Cristiano Ronaldo admits that his family have told him to retire

Martin Macdonald

• 8 Oct 2025 10:01 CDT
• 3 min read

News

Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted to defying his family's wishes for him to retire from football.

The Portuguese superstar is one of the most successful and recognisable names in the history of the sport and his fame, in many ways, transcends the sport.

In his career, he has played for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr and has enjoyed success at each cub, particularly Los Blancos.

Ronaldo has won the Champions League on five occasions as well as dozens of leagues and cups, while at individual level he is the recipient of five Ballon d'Or trophies.

He helped Portugal claim the European Championships in 2016 and he is the top scorer in the history of that tournament.

At 40-years-old and plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League, CR7's career is undoubtedly winding down, but that doesn't mean it's going to end soon as he has plans of playing at the 2026 World Cup with Portugal at the age of 41.

Even though he has achieved so much, he wants to keep playing for a few more years, despite the wishes of his family.

"People, especially my family, say, 'It's time for you to stop. You've done everything," Ronaldo said after accepting the inaugural Prestige Award at the Portugal Football Globe Awards gala on Tuesday.

"Why do you want to score a thousand goals?' But I don't think so. I think I'm still producing good things, I'm helping my club and the national team, and why not keep going? I'm sure that when it's over, I'll leave feeling fulfilled, because I gave it my all. I know I don't have many more years, but I try to enjoy the few I have to the fullest.

“If it were 20 years ago, I would say I wanted to 'eat the world.' Now I don't see things that way. Age allows you to think differently. I have a philosophy of living day by day. Things go by so quickly, things change, and you can't make long-term plans. Right now, I make short-term plans because it gives me more energy that way. It gives me more of a will to live. That's what I try to do: enjoy each day, training session by training session, game by game. The rest will soon be seen.”

Ronaldo: I'd only play for Portugal if I could!

Ronaldo is extremely passionate about his country and has worn the Portugal shirt at senior lever for over two decades.

It seems that his love for playing for Portugal extends beyond playing for any club, despite playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world.

"I don't see this trophy as the end of a career, but rather as a continuation of everything I've done, my entire career," he explained.

"I've been with the national team for 22 years; I think that speaks for itself: the passion I have for wearing the jersey, for winning trophies, for playing for the national team. I often say: if I could, I would play football only for the national team; I wouldn't play for any other club because it's the culmination and the peak of a football player."

Ronaldo is in the Portugal squad for this week's World Cup Qualifiers against Ireland and Hungary.

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