Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed to retire after World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo has spent more than two decades rewriting the record books, and the sport is now being told to prepare for the moment it stops.

However, the clearest signal yet has not come from Ronaldo himself, nor from the Portuguese Football Federation.

Katia Aveiro, Ronaldo’s sister, has told reporters in Toronto, that she believes this World Cup will be her brother’s last with the Portugal national team, as reported by Record.

Speaking ahead of Portugal’s Round of 32 tie with Croatia, Aveiro described the tournament as the “last dance” for Ronaldo, saying: “From the information I have, you can start saying goodbye, because I believe this is it, so enjoy it.”

She continued: “I don’t believe the goodbye is happening today yet, but it is close. I really believe this is the farewell, so enjoy it as much as possible, because it will be hard to find another one like this.

“I’m talking about the Portugal national team. From the information I have, from a reliable source, I believe this is the last dance. So let’s make the most of it, let’s enjoy it as much as we can.”

Crucially, no confirmation has come from either Ronaldo or the Portuguese Football Federation, leaving her comments as the strongest indication rather than a formal announcement.

Now, the scale of what could be ending is difficult to overstate.

The 41-year-old has won five Ballon d’Ors across a career that took in Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr.

He became the first player in history to reach 900 career goals, and currently sits on 993, seven short of the 1,000 he has repeatedly set as a target.

With Portugal he ended a long wait for a major honour by winning Euro 2016, before adding the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and again in 2025.

The one prize that has escaped him is the World Cup, with a fourth-place finish on his 2006 debut remaining his best return from six attempts.

Now, that sixth and final attempt has carried its own turbulence as Ronaldo failed to score in Portugal’s opening 1-1 draw with DR Congo, a result that revived familiar questions over his age and his place in the side.

However, he answered with a double against Uzbekistan to become the first man to score at six different World Cups.

He described the period around the DR Congo game as a “difficult, dark week,” telling reporters it had felt as though he had already retired from football.

Now, his sister’s words frame the Croatia tie and everything that follows as the closing act of that international story.