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Tag: Cristiano Ronaldo

  • Cristiano Ronaldo hints 2024-25 is his final season

    Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted that the 2024-25 season will probably be his final one as a professional footballer, framing the campaign as both a farewell tour and a chance to cement his legacy. The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward told Vogue that retirement is “probably” imminent, adding that his future is “all mapped out.” His remarks follow Portugal’s World Cup exit in the last 16, a tournament where his side bowed out after a 0-0 draw with Croatia in the round of 16.

    A career’s end in sight

    Ronaldo’s announcement arrives as he closes in on 1,000 senior career goals, a milestone just 24 strikes away. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and now Al-Nassr, has spent 25 years at the highest level, accumulating league titles across four continents. His contract at Al-Nassr, where he has one year remaining, suggests this may be his final season. “This is probably my last year of football,” he told Vogue, “and I want to leave a spectacular legacy.”

    The timing is significant. Ronaldo married his partner, Georgina Rodríguez, days before the interview, and he spoke of wanting to “continue to enjoy what I’ve earned—what we’ve earned.” His post-football plans include travel, padel, and spending time with family, a shift from the relentless discipline that defined his playing days. The contrast with his long-time rival Lionel Messi—who recently hinted at an uncertain future after Argentina’s World Cup final run—underscores the generational divide in football’s current landscape.

    Portugal’s decline and Ronaldo’s swansong

    Ronaldo’s international career has mirrored Portugal’s struggles in recent tournaments. At the World Cup, his side were eliminated by Croatia in a match where he and Bruno Fernandes came closest to scoring, with Ronaldo’s header saved by Dominik Livaković in the 85th minute. The defeat extended Portugal’s winless streak in knockout stages since their 2016 European Championship triumph, a period that has seen Ronaldo carry the team through qualifying campaigns while younger players failed to step up.

    His club form at Al-Nassr has been similarly uneven. Despite lifting the Saudi Pro League title last season, Ronaldo’s influence has waned compared to his early years in the league. His absence from Al-Nassr’s opening match—a 2-1 win over Al Fateh—suggested a deliberate step back, though he watched from the stands with his new wife. The club’s title defense begins with a clear question: can they replicate last season’s success without their marquee signing leading the line?

    Beyond the pitch: Ronaldo’s next act

    Ronaldo’s retirement plans extend beyond leisure. He has built a business empire worth over a billion dollars, spanning fashion, hotels, and fitness brands, while maintaining a global social media presence that rivals his on-field fame. His post-retirement ambitions include expanding these ventures, particularly in tourism and wellness, sectors where his name carries weight. “Because football could leave a big hole,” he said, “you have to fill your time in various ways, not just one.”

    The transition won’t be seamless. Ronaldo’s identity has been synonymous with elite performance for two decades, and his absence will leave a void in a sport that thrives on narratives. Yet his decision reflects a rare self-awareness, acknowledging the physical and emotional toll of a career that began in Madeira’s streets and ended on football’s grandest stages. As he prepares for one final season, the question isn’t whether he’ll leave a legacy—it’s how much of it he’ll carry with him.

    Ronaldo’s World Cup exit with Portugal was a microcosm of his final chapter: a team struggling to keep pace with its ambitions, a legend reduced to cameo appearances, and a nation left wondering what comes next. His retirement hints don’t just close a chapter; they redefine the book’s final act.

    Related coverage

    Portugal v Croatia LIVE: Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes go close in World Cup last-32 tie · Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup nightmare: Portugal’s crisis deepens after DR Congo draw

  • Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup nightmare: Portugal’s crisis deepens after DR Congo draw

    Portugal’s World Cup opener turns into a reality check

    Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup began with a thud. Portugal’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo in Houston exposed the gulf between the legend’s club form and his diminishing impact on the biggest stage. The 41-year-old, now without a non-penalty goal in a major international tournament since June 2021, squandered two clear chances as Portugal laboured to a draw that leaves their group ambitions hanging by a thread. The result has reignited questions about Ronaldo’s future, the team’s tactical rigidity, and whether Portugal can rediscover the cohesion that carried them to Euro 2024 glory.

    Ronaldo’s struggles overshadowed by a broader crisis

    The numbers tell only part of the story. Ronaldo, who remains a prolific scorer for Al-Nassr with 30 goals in 37 games this season, managed just three off-target efforts against DR Congo. His failure to convert those opportunities—amid a run of 10 international tournaments without a goal—has drawn predictable scrutiny, but the deeper issue is structural. Thierry Henry, analysing the game for Fox Sports, highlighted Ronaldo’s instinct to prioritise personal glory over team needs, noting how his positioning twice denied Bruno Fernandes a clear path to goal. “The team needs to score, not you need to score,” Henry argued, a line that crystallises Portugal’s current malaise.

    DR Congo’s players were equally blunt. Ngalayel Mukau, the Congolese forward, admitted his side didn’t even bother crafting a specific plan to neutralise Ronaldo because they viewed him as a spent force. “We know that he isn’t the same as before,” Mukau said. “When you get old like that, it’s not the same effort that you can make.” Axel Tuanzabe, a former Manchester United teammate of Ronaldo’s, piled on the pressure, framing the draw as a statement of intent. “Ultimately, we’re just happy about the result,” Tuanzabe said. The Congolese defender’s words carry weight: Portugal, despite dominating possession, managed just one shot on target according to Opta’s post-match data.

    João Félix’s emergence offers a glimmer of hope

    Amid the gloom, João Félix’s presence provides Portugal with a tactical escape route. The Al-Nassr playmaker, who edged Ronaldo to the Saudi Pro League’s Player of the Season award, downplayed DR Congo’s resistance as a product of underdog adrenaline. “Even if it’s against a weaker team, they are playing for their country,” Félix noted. “If it’s a dream for us, it’s a dream for them too.” His optimism is understandable—Portugal’s next two fixtures, against Uzbekistan and Colombia, offer winnable contests—but the opening draw has exposed vulnerabilities that cannot be ignored.

    The broader context compounds Portugal’s discomfort. FIFA’s ticketing debacle, which left Houston’s stadium partially empty in a city with a passionate football culture, underscored the logistical and financial hurdles facing World Cup 2026 before a ball was kicked. With Ronaldo’s pursuit of 1,000 career goals still his stated motivation, the pressure on him to deliver in crunch moments has never been higher. Yet his post-match insistence that “nothing was lacking” rang hollow against the reality of a performance that lacked cohesion, creativity, and cutting edge.

    The tactical rot beneath the surface

    Portugal’s issues extend beyond Ronaldo’s finishing. The draw with DR Congo revealed a team struggling to transition from possession dominance to penetration. According to FIFA’s official match report, Portugal controlled 62% of the ball but registered just one shot on target, a statistic that speaks to a lack of vertical movement and decisiveness in the final third. The absence of a natural striker capable of linking play—Ronaldo’s role as a lone focal point is increasingly anachronistic—has forced Bruno Fernandes into deeper positions, diluting his creativity.

    The midfield, once the bedrock of Portugal’s success, looked disjointed. The double pivot of João Palhinha and Rúben Neves failed to shield the defence adequately, while the wingers, Bernardo Silva and Rafael Leão, were starved of service. DR Congo’s compact 4-4-2 block, coupled with their physicality in midfield, stifled Portugal’s rhythm, exposing a team that has grown accustomed to opponents bending to their will rather than imposing their own. The question now is whether Roberto Martínez can recalibrate before the clash with Uzbekistan—a must-win scenario if Portugal are to avoid an early exit.

    Portugal’s World Cup hangs in the balance

    Ronaldo’s legacy is secure, but his World Cup swansong risks becoming a cautionary tale. The draw with DR Congo has exposed the limits of relying on a player whose physical decline is now impossible to ignore. The irony is that Portugal’s best hope may lie in moving beyond him—not in sentimentality, but in pragmatism. João Félix’s development, the emergence of young talents like Gonçalo Ramos, and a tactical reset could yet salvage this campaign. But time is running out.

    For now, Portugal’s World Cup remains “far from over,” as Ronaldo insisted, but the path forward is narrower than it should be. The next 90 minutes against Uzbekistan will reveal whether this is a temporary blip or the beginning of a deeper crisis. One thing is certain: the Ronaldo era, for all its brilliance, is entering its final act—and Portugal cannot afford to wait for the curtain to fall before deciding what comes next.