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Nieuws
- 31 Oct 2025
Cristiano Ronaldo to retire 'soon' and knows 'nothing' will replicate the joy of playing football
Martin Macdonald
- 4 Nov 2025 10:01 CST
- 6 min read
Nieuws
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to retire from football "soon", the Portuguese superstar himself has confirmed.
CR7 has enjoyed and continues to enjoy a distinguished career that includes multiple league and cup wins as well as five Champions League titles and a European Championships victory with Portugal.
On a personal level, he has won five Ballon d'Or trophies, is the top goalscorer in the history of international football and the Champions League, while he is the only player ever to score at least 100 goals for four different clubs.
No footballer has made more senior appearances or scored more goals than Ronaldo.
He is in the twilight of his career, though, and will turn 41 in February even though he does plan to play at the 2026 World Cup at that age.
The time to hang up his boots is coming.
When asked in an interview with Piers Morgan what age he thinks he will retire, Ronaldo responded:
"Soon, but I think I will be prepared.
"It will be tough, it will be difficult. Probably I will cry. Yes. I’m an easy guy to cry, I don’t keep my feelings [inside]. I’m honest.
"I’m an open person.
"It will be very, very difficult. But, Piers, I prepared my future since I was 25, 26, 27.
"So, I think I will be capable to support that pressure."
Football is all Ronaldo has known since a young age and everyone knows how serious he takes competition as well as his own physical conditioning. His entire life for the past 20 years has been focused on him becoming one of the greatest players in history.
And, he doesn't think there's anything that can fill the void of playing football after retiring.
When asked the question by Morgan, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star replied:
"Nothing. Nothing, I think.
"The adrenaline that we have for football, to score a goal, will be gone.
"But, everything has a beginning and an end. So, I think I will be prepared.
"But, I have other passions, I’m going to have more time for me. I’m going to have more time for my family, to raise my kids.
"I want to be more of a family person, more present."
Ronaldo: My family has told me to retire
Even though Ronaldo 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," he said previously after accepting the inaugural Prestige Award at the Portugal Football Globe Awards gala in October.
"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.”
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